Scientists have found the fossil of a strange creature that is both a dinosaur and a bird!
Scientists in China have found a strange fossil, which is of such a unique creature that is a mixture of dinosaurs and birds. Its special thing is that while its body is that of a bird, its skull is like that of a dinosaur. This new discovery has surprised scientists and has given them completely different information about the evolution of birds.
Fossils have often surprised scientists and for the last few decades, with the discovery of new fossils of dinosaurs, information about new species continues to be found. Recently, scientists have found another new fossil in China, due to which they are very surprised about the evolutionary journey of birds. It is said birds that are descendants of dinosaurs. The most strange thing is that this fossil discovered by the paleontologist is 120 million years old, whose head is like a dinosaur and the rest is like a bird.
A huge difference
The skull and the first bone of the fossil of this creature named Cratonavis zhui are completely different from all other birds and their fossils. This discovery is indicative of a dramatic change in the shape, function, and ecology of birds during their evolution, which gave special forms to the body of birds.
Was it weird from work too?
The results of this investigation have been published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, in which the shape of this fossil has been explained in detail. The hardness of its bone structure etc. shows that it behaved like a raptor. The researchers also found that the Cretaceous period was a critical time period when Earth’s vertebrates experienced explosive diversity.
Rock bones
The fossil was studied by paleontologists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences using high-resolution computed tomography scanning technology. They extracted the bones of the fossil from the rock with digital technology and then reconstructed the original shape of the organism.
This fossil belongs to the Cretaceous period when there was a lot of diversity in dinosaurs. (Representational photo: Shutterstock)
Scapula of dinosaurs like t rex
Apart from this, scientists also got information about the functions of the skull and they found that the shape of the shoulder bone of Crotonavis is more similar to the shape of the skull of a dinosaur-like Tyrex, not a bird. Dr. Li Zhiheng, the lead author of this study Gave detailed information about this.
A peculiarity
Jiheng explained that studies of archaic organisms suggest that many Cretaceous birds, such as Cratonavis, could not move the upper part of their beaks as freely as the lower jaw. This is such a feature or ability that is widely found in birds even after all the variations.
Birds evolved after further changes in the flying species in Dinosaurs. (Representational photo: Shutterstock)
When did the change start
Researchers found that this function of the shoulder bone is very important for flight and it provides both stability and flexibility. This change occurred during the theropod-bird transition, after which the enlarged scapula provided a mechanical advantage in that it helped to rotate the muscles.
Researchers say that the responsibility for separation and change in birds from their dinosaur ancestors was most visible in Mesozoic birds and because of this there must have been contradictory demands to meet their food needs. The first change in the bones of the foot also took place during this dinosaur-bird transition.
