Four-winged
dinosaur is 'biggest ever'
By James Morgan Science reporter, BBC News
A new
four-winged dinosaur has been discovered, with exceptionally long feathers on
its tail and "hindwings".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.The tail would have acted as a pitch control structure
reducing descent speed... which could be critical to a safe landing or precise
attack on prey.This unusual plumage helped the creature to slow down during
flight and land safely, say scientists writing in Nature Communications. C.
yangi is a new species of microraptorine, a group related to early avians.These
ancient creatures offer clues to the origin of flight - and the transition from
feathered dinosaurs to birds.
No comments:
Post a Comment