Under the ultraviolet light, the scaly skin showed up on the torso and limbs, which are the parts of the body that did not contain feathers. Yang added that the fossil skin was made up of silica, which is the same component that glass is composed of.
During fossilization, silica-rich fluids entered the skin before it could decay, preserving the structure of the skin in intricate, glassy detail. It is the first time that a vertebrate fossil has ever been found preserved in this way.
The new fossil evidence indicates that Psittacosaurus had reptile-like skin in areas where it didn’t have feathers.
So, according to the discovery, it appears that early feathered animals had mixed skin types that included feathered regions of the body and scaly skin, similar to modern reptiles. This combination of skin allowed animals to protect themselves from dehydration, injury, and parasites.
