The BBC reports on the largest ever four-winged dinosaur (abstract) which has recently been discovered in China.
Changyuraptor yangi was a gliding predator which lived in the Cretaceous period in what is now Liaoning, China.
Its remarkable tail feathers — measuring up to 30cm — are the longest in any non-avian dinosaur.
Measuring 132cm from its snout to the tip of its tail feathers, it is the largest four-winged dinosaur ever discovered — longer than an eagle or an albatross today.
While it is believed that these four-winged dinosaurs were a side-branch and did not evolve into birds as we currently know them, it still offers valuable insight into the origin of flight and evolution of birds.
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The first ever example of a plant-eating dinosaur with feathers and scales has been discovered in Russia. Previously only flesh-eating dinosaurs were known to have had feathers so this new find indicates that all dinosaurs could have been feathered.
The BBC is reporting on research about the evolution of dinosaurs into birds:
Huge meat-eating, land-living dinosaurs evolved into birds by constantly shrinking for over 50 million years, scientists have revealed.
Theropods shrunk 12 times from 163kg (360lb) to 0.8kg (1.8lb), before becoming modern birds.
The researchers found theropods were the only dinosaurs to get continuously smaller.
Their skeletons also changed four times faster than other dinosaurs, helping them to survive. These bird ancestors also evolved new adaptations, including feathers, wishbones and wings, four times faster than other dinosaurs.
The researchers concluded that the evolution of the branch of dinosaurs leading to birds was more innovative than other dinosaur lineages.
See also: Four-Winged Dinosaur is 'Biggest Ever' and Dinosaurs 'Neither Warm nor Cold Blooded'.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 20 2014, @11:55AM
But did it taste good with cock sauce?
(Score: 1) by crAckZ on Sunday July 20 2014, @12:54PM
Does it matter how it tastes if you have to add cock sauce?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday July 20 2014, @02:38PM
let's hope it pooped explosively else the trickely stuff might have clogged up those hindleg "feathers".
(Score: 1) by nyder on Sunday July 20 2014, @04:17PM
http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokedex/archeops [pokemon.com]
In Pokemon X & Y. It's a Rock/Flying Pokemon. Category: First Bird.