Pheasant-sized dinosaur found in China surprises scientists

Prehistoric creature had unusual lower limbs

A tiny, bird-like—pheasant-sized—dinosaur with astonishing characteristics discovered in China.

The fossilized remains of a tiny bird-like dinosaur with surprisingly long lower limbs have been discovered in China, CNN reports.

This creature likely lived during the late Jurassic period, 148-150 million years ago, in what is now Fujian province in southeast China.

Named Fuijianvenator prodigiosus, which is Latin for “fancy hunter of Fuijian,” the creature had elongated lower limbs that were twice as long as its thighs. In most dinosaurs, as a rule, the opposite is observed, CNN emphasizes.

The fossil, weighing about 641 grams and about the size of a pheasant, is important because it bridges a gap in the fossil record close to the origins of birds, said Ming Wang, lead author of the study published today in the journal Nature.

Birds evolved from bipedal therapod dinosaurs (of which Tyrannosaurus Rex belonged) during the Jurassic period, but knowledge of their early evolutionary history is hampered by the relative lack of fossils from this time, CNN notes.

“Fujianvenator, given its unique skeletal morphology, sheds new light on the morphological evolution… at the earliest stage of bird evolution,” says Professor Min Wang from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing.

In modern animals, an elongated tibia is associated with species that can run quickly, the study suggests, suggesting the bird-like Fuijianvenator may have been a speedy runner.

However, in birds, this feature is also present in wading birds such as storks and cranes, making it possible for the Fuijianvenator dinosaur to exist in swampy aquatic environments.

The fossil was found along with fossils of other aquatic and semi-aquatic animals, including turtles and ray-finned fish, suggesting the ancient creature may have lived in swamps.

Other known early bird-like dinosaurs lived in trees and were more “aerial” in nature, the study says.

Although the fossil does not preserve feathers, it is likely that Fujianvenator had them because its closest relatives in the dinosaur family tree did, says Professor Ming Wang. It is impossible to determine from the fossils whether the bird-like dinosaur could fly or not, he added.