A strange pheasant-sized, bird-like dinosaur with elongated legs and arms built many like wings lived in southeast China between 148 and 150 million years ago. Its puzzling anatomy suggested that it may have been a strong runner or had lived the lifestyle of an current wading bird.
The fossil of a dinosaur from the Jurassic Period that scientists named Fujianvenator prodigiosus — a creature that sheds light on an important evolutionary stage in the origin of birds— was discovered by scientists on Wednesday.
According to study leader Min & nbsp, Wang, a paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Palaeoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the answer to the question of whether Fujianvenator, with its peculiar mixture of skeletal features, should be classified as bird depends on one’s definition.
When Wang was asked for a word to describe Fujianvenator, she responded,” I would say & nbsp,’ bizarre. Fujianvenator is not at all like any other contemporary animals.
Small feathered two-legged dinosaurs from a line known as theropods gave rise to birds later in the Jurassic, with the oldest known birds, Archaeopteryx, dating to around 150 million years ago in Germany. This was an extraordinary occasion in dinosaur evolution.
According to Wang, Fujianvenator is a member of the avialan family, which includes all species and their closest non-avian reptile relatives. Birds survived the asteroid strike that killed their non-avian dragon friends 66 million years ago, despite their humble beginnings.
It is difficult to understand the diet and way of life of the Fujianvenator because the fossil, which was found in October, is relatively full but lacks the animal’s skull and some of its feet.
The shin, the lower leg bone of Fujianvenator, was twice as long as the knee, which was the upper knee. These sizes are unusual among pterosaurs, a group that includes all the animals that eat flesh, including Tyrannosaurus and other species. It had a long, bony rear as well.
” The forelimb is typically & nbsp, built like a bird’s wing, but lacking the three claws on the fingers of modern birds.” You may therefore refer to it as aircraft. Whether it could sail or not is unknown. Fujianvenator & nbsp, based on the skeletal characteristics, is likely at least not good at flying, Wang said.
Feathers are not preserved by the fossil & nbsp itself. However, nearly all of the known avian pterosaurs, including its closest family and close friends, are feathered, and feathers are widely distributed among dinosaurs. So, Wang continued,” If Fujianvenator had wings, it wouldn’t be a wonder.”
The researchers suggested two possible life-style based on the form of its long legs: quickly running or wading through a swampy area resembling present cranes or herons.
Wang remarked,” I would bet my money on offset.”
In addition to non-avian animals with characteristics resembling those of animals, scientists are working to better understand how birds came to be.
According to paleontologist Zhonghe Zhou, co-author of the research that was published in the journal Nature, Fujianvenator” represents another fascinating piece of evidence showing the large distribution of different bird-like dinosaurs living almost simultaneously and sharing comparable habitats with their bird descendants.”
Due to the scarcity of specimens, the earliest sections in bird background are still obscure. There is a valley that is about 20 million years old before the next species appear in the fossil record after Archaeopteryx— a crow-sized bird whose remains were first discovered in 19th century and which has teeth, long bony tails, and no nose.
” One thing is certain. According to Zhou & nbsp, there is still a significant difference between the oldest known bird and the second-oldest known birds.