Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science

‘Dancing dragon’ bridges gap between feathered dinosaurs and birds

A perfectly preserved dinosaur specimen found in China was covered in feathers.

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
January 21, 2020
in News, Science

Paleontologists have recently described the 120-million-year-old fossils belonging to an ancient extinct species that was a bizarre mix between dinosaurs and birds.

Credit: Erick Toussaint/San Diego Natural History Museum.

The fossils of the newly reported species, dubbed Wulong bohaiensis (“the dancing dragon”), were first unearthed from China more than ten years ago, in the fossil-rich Jiufotang Formation. The region is thought to be one of the first habitats where dinosaurs and early birds co-existed.

The species, which is twice as old as T. rex, has been described based on a fantastically well-preserved specimen, whose feathers look trapped in time.

“The new dinosaur fits in with an incredible radiation of feathered, winged animals that are closely related to the origin of birds,” said postdoctoral researcher Ashley Poust of the San Diego Natural History Museum and UC Berkeley. “Studying specimens like this not only shows us the sometimes surprising paths that ancient life has taken, but also allows us to test ideas about how important bird characteristics, including flight, arose in the distant past.”

According to the new study, authored by experts in China and the United States, Wulong is one of the earliest velociraptor relatives and potentially a missing link in the dinosaur-to-bird evolutionary transition.

Wulong bohaiensis, a name that means “Dancing Dragon” in Chinese to reference its active pose. Credit: Ashley Poust.

The dinosaur was about the size of a raven, but double its length, and looked like a dwarfish feathered raptor. Its four limbs must have looked like wings, all balanced by a very long, double-plumed tail. Feathered limbs and tails are what we associate today with modern birds.

Although tiny, Wulong had a fierce-looking narrow face and its mouth was littered with sharp teeth. Its bones were small and light, like a bird’s.

Not too long ago, feathers were thought to have appeared exclusively in birds. However, we now know that many dinosaurs species — the ancestors of today’s birds — had a plumage of some sort. In fact, many key avian features may have evolved even before dinosaurs appeared, in a common ancestor.

Wulong skull. Credit: The Anatomical Record.

Writing in the journal The Anatomical Record, the team of researchers claims that the new dinosaur looks very closely related to the origin of birds.

When it died, the dinosaur was a juvenile, based on its bones that had not fully matured. The feathers, however, resemble those of a mature adult, suggesting that they grew much more quickly than bones, unlike modern birds. It’s possible that the young Wulong needed these tail and limb feathers for some yet unknown purpose.

Jehol biota, the richest fossil deposits in the world and the Chinese region where Wulong was found, was probably one of the most biodiverse habitats for early flying animals. It housed birds, bird-like dinosaurs, and even pterosaurs. Around this time some of the first flowering plants began to bloom.

“There was a lot of flying, gliding, and flapping around these ancient lakes,” says Poust. “As we continue to discover more about the diversity of these small animals it becomes interesting how they all might have fit into the ecosystem.”

“It was an alien world, but with some of the earliest feathers and earliest flowers, it would have been a pretty one.”

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Missing link dinosaur bridges the gap between vegetarians and meat eating dinosaurs
  2. Oldest ‘fish-lizard’ bridges Ichthyosaur evolutionary gap
  3. New dinosaur species found bridges evolutionary gap
  4. Ancient amber reveals that ticks dined on feathered dinosaurs, too
  5. Feathered dinosaurs may have accidentally developed flying — while running
Tags: birdsdinosaurs

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW