The discovery of a new bird-like dinosaur from the Jurassic period challenges widely accepted theories on the origin of flight. Co-authored by Dr Gareth Dyke, Senior Lecturer in Vertebrate Palaeontology at the University of Southampton, the paper describes a new feathered dinosaur about 30 cm in length which pre-dates bird-like dinosaurs that birds were long thought to have evolved from.
The new 'bird-dinosaur' Eosinopteryx described in Nature Communicationsthis week provides additional evidence to this effect.
"This discovery sheds further doubt on the theory that the famous fossil Archaeopteryx -- or "first bird" as it is sometimes referred to -- was pivotal in the evolution of modern birds," says Dr Dyke, who is based at the National Oceanography Centre, Southampton."Our findings suggest that the origin of flight was much more complex than previously thought."
The fossilised remains found in north-eastern China indicate that, while feathered, this was a flightless dinosaur, because of its small wingspan and a bone structure that would have restricted its ability to flap its wings.The dinosaur also had toes suited to walking along the ground and fewer feathers on its tail and lower legs, which would have made it easier to run.
Could we engineer a dinosaur out of a bird?
Eosinopteryx increases the known diversity of small-bodied dinosaurs in the Jurassic, shows that taxa with similar body plans could occupy different niches in the same ecosystem and suggests a more complex picture for the origin of flight.
I've been curious how forelimbs such as those possessed by T-Rex or Veloceraptors even evolved in the first place. What use would they be with such a limited range of motion? Just tearing flesh up to eat it?
Especially the raptors' forelimbs look like atrophied wings, rather than purpose grown forelimbs.
It's just weird to think that wings came second.
Or did they? Could wings have come first, but originally only been used for some limited purpose, like the purpose they serve for Ostriches? More for stability and control while running or something like that, and then (for raptors) they moved toward claws? And (for birds) gradually became actual tools for flight?
Feathers came first from what I understand.
As for those short forelimbs, look at the kangaroo. They rarely use them much though they're probably well integrated into balancing while jumping. They're handy, dandy for fighting though.
presumably you're thinking of the oviraptor on its nest ?
If I'm not mistaken, feathers are thought to first appear in the crotch, and downy ones at that. Surely those were "setting" feathers?
Pure speculation on my part that some dinosaurs nested in trees or cliffs. That's just a leg up on gliding, on the way to flight.
What would you say to that grasping maniraptoran forearm a climbing adaptation?
You need to take a look at the Middle Jurassic forms and go from there. Its possible that the split leading to coelurosaurians (and thus modern birds) was soon after the emergence of Dinosauria in the early Triassic.