A 120 million-year-old fossil is helping paleontologists to bridge the 'phantom' evolutionary leap between feathered dinosaurs and modern birds.
Dromaeosauridae is consistently recovered in close relationship to Troodontidae and Avialae, groups united within the clade Paraves, which includes living birds (Senter, 2007; Sereno, 1999). Therefore, understanding the anatomy and behavior of dromaeosaurids represents an important step in recovering the macroevolutionary history leading to the feathered dinosaurs of today.
The first dromaeosaurid described was Dromaeosaurus (Matthew and Brown, 1922), with the description of Velociraptor following 2 years later (Osborn, 1924). For decades after their discovery, the gracile form of dromaeosaurids appeared paradoxical in view of the presumed ectothermic metabolism of dinosaurs, but this received little attention in the literature. Recognition of their true character awaited the discovery and description of Deinonychus in the late 1960s.
According to study published in The Anatomical Record, he two-legged was a Cretaceous period dinosaur that was somewhat bigger than a crow.
First discovered in China more than a decade ago, in one of the world's richest fossil deposits, the ancient animal's beautifully preserved bones have only recently received closer inspection.
The Jiufotang Formation, where the fossil was found, belongs to the Jehol group - known for its incredible variety of animals, it's considered One of the earliest habitats where dinosaurs, birds, and bird-like dinosaurs co-existed. But even amongst stiff competition, the Wulong fossil is one of a kind.
Experts from China and the United States now think this dancing specimen is one of the earliest relatives of velociraptors, and a crucial stepping stone in the obscure dinosaur-to-bird transition.
"The new dinosaur fits in with an incredible radiation of feathered, winged animals that are closely related to the origin of birds," says Poust.
The study was published in The
Anatomical Record.
(With inputs Anatomical Record)
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