This 127 million year old fossil connects dinosaurs and the evolution of birds | smithsonianmag.com

Yes, birds are technically modern dinosaurs. But sometimes it's hard to tell where the non-bird dinos ends and where the bird begins. Like John Pickrell at National Geographic reports, scientists have now discovered a 127 million year old fossil that mixes its avian characteristics with some prehistoric quirks, shedding new light on the evolution of flying birds.

"[This is] Steve Brusatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh who did not participate in the research, is one of the most important fossil birds discovered in recent years.

But although occupying such a high branch on the evolutionary tree, the new Jinguofortis perplexus was a kind of hot mess. In fact, according to the new publication in the magazine, the last half of its name comes from the disconcerting occupation of a kind of strange dino-bird valley. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. As it turns out, J. perplexus Perhaps it was strangely unsuitable for flying – mainly because of growing pains as it moved away from the dinosaur family.

For a, J. perplexus We presented some features that we do not usually see on today's chickens and crows, like a jaw instead of a beak. But, technically, it was still a bird, more precisely a short-tailed bird or a pygostyle. The study of this group as a whole has brought a wealth of knowledge to paleontologists, since pygostyles seem to mark the transition between the 'long and straight tail of [dinosaurs] in the merged small tails [birds] have today, "said Brusatte Pickrell.

What else, J. perplexus Dennis Voeten, a palaeontologist from Palacký University in the Czech Republic who did not participate in the study, told George Dvorsky Gizmodo could highlight the shift from bulky hands to more manageable figures. Modern birds have essentially "strongly reduced" fingers in which the bones have melted to facilitate the flight of the feathers. J. perplexus seems to represent an intermediate step in this fortuitous switch.

But perhaps the biggest hurdle to J. perplexus the detachment was his fused scapulocoracoid belt. Most modern birds have two bones that meet in a moving joint at that location, instead of a fused unit; this allows them the flexibility to flap their wings. J. perplexus & # 39; the welded belt is "very unusual," said ornator Gerald Mayr of the Senckenberg Research Institute in Frankfurt, Germany, to Pickrell; nowadays, this characteristic is typically a staple for the only birds unable to fly like ostriches.

The researchers, led by Min Wang, a paleontologist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, believe that the fused scapular belt may have helped this ancient bird species mature more quickly. However, because of the structure of his wings, Wang thinks J. perplexus According to Mr. Pickrell, the flight was certainly less effective or perhaps less effective than most modern birds. But Mayr is cautious and adds that J. perplexus & # 39; aerodynamic capabilities must be "confirmed in future studies".

The fossil was discovered in present-day Hebei Province in northeastern China. At the beginning of the Cretaceous, J. perplexus Dvorsky told Dvorsky he had his run (or flight) in the densely wooded area, using his 27-inch wingspan to navigate through the trees, where he was nibbling plants. Gizmodo.

In any case, one thing about J. perplexus & # 39; The mechanics of movement seem clear: the bird's wings show that the evolution of bird flight "was not a direct path," says Voeten to Dvorsky. "Dinosaurs may have" experimented "with different flight styles and degrees of flight. [flying] the skill that disappeared with non-avian dinosaurs. "

The author of the study, Wang, agrees. As he explains to Pickrell at National Geographic, "This new bird fossil shows that [this evolutionary path] was a lot more messy [than we once thought]. "

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