Pennaceous feather in Kachin amber (Burmite), mid-Cretaceous ~99 Ma
Locality/Age – Hukawng Valley, Kachin State, Myanmar; Cenomanian Burmese amber.
Clear honey-amber fragment preserving a feather vane in oblique view, together with assorted syninclusions (tiny flies/gnats, plant fragments, bubbles). The feather shows a slender rachis with opposed barbs bearing fine barbules; barbs diverge at low angles and maintain spacing along the shaft, producing a neat, pennaceous profile. Barbules are visible as parallel filaments; hooklets (hamuli) are suggested in places but below optical resolution here. Proximal portions grade into looser, plumulaceous fringing. Origin most consistent with avian or non-avian theropod integument (Aves/Theropoda indet.).
Taphonomy/Preservation – Scleroproteinous elements are carbonized and sharply contrasted; articulation along the rachis is intact, indicating rapid entrapment in resin. The piece displays strongly under transmitted light, and the vane structure is readable across much of its length.
Burmite amber containing feathers are among the most sought-after inclusions when contacted by the research institute. This specimen offers the textbook microstructure; if lookign closely, one can see the barb barbule hierarchy of the feather. So it is most suitable for not only educational display, but further microscope study. At present the research institute is limited with respect to kinds of imaging technologies at is disposal.
Dimensions: 22.6×11.3×4.6 mm
Weight: 5.19 cts
** AS WITH ALL INCLUSIONS AND AMBERS, THE KACHIN AMBER RESEARCH INSTITUTE GUARANTEES NATURAL GENUINE BURMITE UNADULTERATED AND FROM GOD HIMSELF. UNTOUCHED BY MAN, THESE AMBERS ARE NATURAL KACHIN AMBER**
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