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A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran from China with elongate ribbon-like feathers

Author

Listed:
  • Fucheng Zhang

    (Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 643, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Zhonghe Zhou

    (Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 643, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Xing Xu

    (Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 643, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Xiaolin Wang

    (Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 643, Beijing 100044, China)

  • Corwin Sullivan

    (Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, PO Box 643, Beijing 100044, China)

Abstract

Theropod evolution: a trick of the tail feathers Here's another chapter in the transition from non-avian theropods to birds — the discovery of a bizarre pigeon-sized feathered dinosaur from the Mid-Late Jurassic of China. Living a little before Archaeopteryx, this creature is birdlike in many ways including the presence of four very long ribbon-like tail feathers and a short tail. But there is no sign of the flight feathers of the kind seen on the limbs of birdlike dinosaurs such as Microraptor. In today's birds, elongated tail feathers are usually ornamental, and that could be the case here. This new fossil adds yet more complexity to the early history of evolution from dinosaurs to birds.

Suggested Citation

  • Fucheng Zhang & Zhonghe Zhou & Xing Xu & Xiaolin Wang & Corwin Sullivan, 2008. "A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran from China with elongate ribbon-like feathers," Nature, Nature, vol. 455(7216), pages 1105-1108, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:455:y:2008:i:7216:d:10.1038_nature07447
    DOI: 10.1038/nature07447
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    Cited by:

    1. Yaser Saffar Talori & Jing-Shan Zhao & Yun-Fei Liu & Wen-Xiu Lu & Zhi-Heng Li & Jingmai Kathleen O'Connor, 2019. "Identification of avian flapping motion from non-volant winged dinosaurs based on modal effective mass analysis," PLOS Computational Biology, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(5), pages 1-16, May.

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