in China A strange animal with the body of a bird and the head of a dinosaur has been discovered living around it 120 million years ago And the scientists called it Kratonavis choy. Behind this revelation is a team of scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Chu Zhonghe. The study was later published in the journal nature and its evolution. Paleontologists scanned the fossil with a high-resolution CT scanner and found that the skull was nearly identical to the head’s. dinosaur. «Characteristics of the skull – explained the doctor qiheng me, Among the main authors of the work – it turns out that most birds live in chalkybirds, including Cratonavis zuhi, were unable to move the upper beak independently of the brain and lower jaw, which is something modern birds can do instead and constitutes one of the most defining characteristics of their ecological diversity.”
What also amazed the scientists was the fact that this “bird dinosaur” had the shoulder This is the first instep stretch. which modern birds do not have. And according to the research authors, this could be due to: evolutionary step From dinosaurs to birds, which is necessary to compensate for the other characteristics of this ancient animal that had a very poor structure for flight. “The shoulder blade is functionally important for bird flight and conveys stability and flexibility,” the scientist explained. Wang Minwho participated in the study. He concluded, “The scapula may increase the mechanical advantage of the muscle in relation to the rotation of the humerus, which compensates for the underdeveloped overall flight apparatus of this early bird, and these differences represent a morphological experience in flight behavior in early bird diversification.”
What branch was it in?
Due to the characteristics, Cratonavis has been placed midway between Tyrannosaurus Archeopteryx Long-tailed and reptilian-like, f Ornithothoraceswhich instead had different characteristics to modern birds.
Cover video for Ifl Science
Read also:
“Unable to type with boxing gloves on. Freelance organizer. Avid analyst. Friendly troublemaker. Bacon junkie.”