Researchers have discovered a new fossil of a species of dinosaur, called Changyuraptor yangi, which suggests that the dinosaur was made for flying in a way more aerodynamically feasible than previously thought.
The dinosaur belongs to a group of flying dinosaur species called microraptorines. Their new fossil contained fossilized tail feathers nearly 30 centimeters long, the longest tail feathers discovered on a dinosaur to date. This adds growing evidence to the pile of research suggesting that dinosaurs had more in common with birds than previously thought, and reveals a lot about the ways that microraptorines flew despite their enormous size.
A new study published on July 15 in the journal Nature Communications about the Changyuraptor yangi fossil, co-authored by Luis M. Chiappe, a palentologist at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, suggests that the bird was structured "like a jet." The feathers they found were 30 percent of the length of the dinosaur's body. Chiappe wrote in the paper, "The lengthy feathered tail of the new fossil provides insight into the flight performance of microraptorines and how they may have maintained aerial competency at larger body sizes."
This new fossil was discovered in 125-million-year-old deposits in northeastern China. The dinosaur was about 1.2 meters long and probably weighed about 4.5 kilograms, or nine pounds, when it was alive. It is the biggest flying dinosaur ever discovered to date. The fossil is believed to be an adult. It had feathers on all four limbs, which is one of the distinguishing feathers of microraptorines. The study described the four limbs as being like wings. However, the unusual thing about this dinosaur is the length of its feathery tail, the longest known among flying dinosaurs. The study suggests that the dinosaur probably used its long tail to slow itself down when landing, to avoid crashing into things during descent.
What does this mean for the scientific community? We may have to rethink the way that birds evolved from dinosaurs, and the way that dinosaurs flew when they roamed the Earth. "The new fossil documents that dinosaur flight was not limited to very small animals but to dinosaurs of more substantial size," said Chiappe in a press release. "Clearly, far more evidence is needed to understand the nuances of dinosaur flight, but Changyuraptor is a major leap in the right direction."
Dating the first bird is a source of controversy for paleontologists. The Changyuraptor may be a huge step towards learning the true answer, as its unique tail may point the way for scientists to discover the evolutionary path towards the bird.
Alan Turner of Stony Brook University in New York told Yahoo that, "Numerous features that we have long associated with birds in fact evolved in dinosaurs long before the first birds arrived on the scene. This includes things such as hollow bones, nesting behavior, feathers... and possibly flight."
Note: The publication date of the Nature Communications article was corrected to July 15.
