In a groundbreaking discovery, Chinese scientists have unearthed the oldest known short-tailed bird fossil, dating back approximately 150 million years, in Zhenghe County, Fujian Province. This remarkable find suggests that the origin of birds may trace back earlier than previously believed.
The fossilized bird, named Baminornis zhenghensis, exhibits a short tail ending in a compound bone known as the pygostyle, a characteristic unique to modern birds. This feature indicates that the body structure of contemporary birds emerged during the Late Jurassic Period, approximately 20 million years earlier than earlier records.
Dr. Wang Min, a researcher with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), highlighted the significance of the discovery. \"This is a groundbreaking discovery. It overturns the previous situation that Archaeopteryx was the only bird found in the Jurassic Period,\" stated Dr. Zhou Zhonghe, an academician of the CAS.
The Baminornis zhenghensis showcases a unique blend of traits, including modern bird-like shoulder and pelvic girdles combined with a hand resembling that of non-avian dinosaurs. This combination presents an intriguing and seemingly contradictory phenomenon that opens new avenues for understanding avian evolution.
Based on the new findings, scientists speculate that the emergence of the earliest birds could date back to between 172 million and 164 million years ago. The study, conducted by researchers from the IVPP and the Fujian Institute of Geological Survey, was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature.
Reference(s):
Jurassic fossil discovery in China sheds new light on origin of birds
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