Chris Merkord Posted June 3, 2013 Share Posted June 3, 2013 The skeleton of an Aurornis xui was found in Yizhou Fossil & Geology Park, China. A contender for the title of 'world's first bird,' this bird - slash - bird-like dinosaur lived in Asia in the Middle/Late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. Courtesy of Masato Hattori / LiveScience.com A fossil found last year resting at a museum in Yizhou, China, may represent the ancient contender for the title of the "world's oldest bird." Not everyone agrees, but "Aurornis" may displace "Archaeopteryx" for the title.This fossil has been deemed to have been a bird, not a dinosaur. "Aurornis" lived during the Middle Jurassic period, about 150 million years ago. It was probably about 19 inches long, from beak tip to tail tip. This beast probably couldn't fly, but could have used its wings to glide between trees. The fossil's feathers are not well-preserved, but some of the bones and other features suggest that it was a relative of modern birds.Details are contained in the 30 May issue of the journal NATURE, and are summarized here:http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0530/World-s-first-bird-New-fossil-bumps-Archaeopteryx-off-its-perch - - - - - - - - - This article is copied from the most recent Birding Community E-bulletin You can access all the past E-bulletins on the National Wildlife Refuge Association (NWRA) website:http://refugeassociation.org/news/birding-bulletin/If you have any friends or co-workers who want to get onto the monthly E-bulletin mailing list, have them contact either: Wayne R. Petersen, Director Massachusetts Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program Mass Audubon 781/259-2178 wpetersen@massaudubon.org or Paul J. Baicich Great Birding Projects 410/992-9736 paul.baicich@verizon.net Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Merkord Posted June 3, 2013 Author Share Posted June 3, 2013 World's first bird? New fossil bumps Archaeopteryx off its perch. Christian Science Monitor A new contender for the world's first bird, the feathered Aurornis xui is older than the more famous Archaeopteryx, which it reconfirms as a bird, not a dinosaur. But the line between birds and dinosaurs remains fuzzy. Read more: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0530/World-s-first-bird-New-fossil-bumps-Archaeopteryx-off-its-perch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.