New Fossilized Footprints Reveal a Dinosaur-Bird Hybrid
Beijing, China - An international team of paleontologists has discovered a series of fossilized bird-like dinosaur footprints at the Longxiang Fossil Site in Fujian Province, China.
Velociraptors and a New Discovery
Among the footprints, smaller ones measuring 11 cm in length belonged to a known dinosaur species called Velociraptorichnus. However, alongside these were massive footprints measuring 36 cm, indicating an entirely new species of bird dinosaur.
Footprints: A Treasure Trove of Prehistoric Information
While fossilized footprints may seem less impressive than bone fossils, they hold immense value for paleontologists, especially when identifying new species within a known group. Footprints reveal not only the animal's general shape but also 3D "negatives" of their external features, including skin textures and muscle striations. This allows scientists to infer how the animal moved and, consequently, its behavior.
'Razor-Toothed Bird Dragon' from China
In this case, the remarkably preserved footprints have led to the discovery of a new species of Troodontid, or "razor-toothed bird dragon": Fujianipus yingliangi. According to a paper published in the journal iScience, this bird dinosaur and its relatives belong to a larger family called deinonychosaur, a transitional group between dinosaurs and birds.
Like other bird dinosaurs, Fujianipus yingliangi possessed an ostrich-like body with small wings and powerful legs, yet it retained teeth, identifying it as a true dinosaur. It was also a formidable apex predator in its region.
"It stood about 5 meters tall with 1.8-meter-long legs, dwarfing the carnivorous birds depicted in Jurassic Park," described Dr. Anthony Romilio from the University of Queensland, Australia, a member of the research team. "Imagine something like that coming at you at full speed."
Expanding Distribution of Bird Dinosaurs
To identify the new species, the footprints were compared to other known two-toed dinosaur tracks from across Asia, North and South America, and Europe. Most bird dinosaurs have been found in high-latitude regions near the poles, but the new discovery in Fujian suggests that these dinosaurs ranged further south than previously thought.
Researchers from the China University of Geosciences, Xiamen University, Yingliang Stone Natural History Museum, Fujian Geological Survey, University of Colorado at Denver, and College of Charleston also contributed to the study.
Summary:
A team of paleontologists has discovered new fossilized footprints in China, revealing a previously unknown species of bird dinosaur. The discovery, named Fujianipus yingliangi, is a Troodontid, or "razor-toothed bird dragon," with an ostrich-like body and powerful legs. Standing 5 meters tall, it was a formidable predator. The footprints also suggest that bird dinosaurs had a wider distribution than previously thought, ranging further south into temperate regions.