Chinese researchers discovered new fossils that suggest some species of birds that lived during the dinosaur age were four winged.
Huge discoveries in the world of science have been made in the last couple of months. First paleontologists announced that some birds were actually dinosaurs. Then, news of baby dinosaurs being eaten by a species of crocodiles surfaced. Now, a group of Chinese researchers has announced the discovery of new fossils that suggest some species of birds that lived during the dinosaur ages were four winged.
According to a new paper released Thursday by the journal Science, 11 fossil specimens from the lower Cretaceous period, about 130 million years ago, were discovered. This new discovery suggests a missing link between primitive birds and the development of modern birds. This discovery is also the first "solid evidence" that some recently unearthed primitive bird species had also adopted the four-wing body structure before they abandoned the hind-limb feathers and continued alone with the presumably more efficient feathered forelimb wings.
The 11 newly discovered specimens from Liaoning in northeastern China, from several species, show signs of long, stiff feathers with curved shafts jutting out nearly perpendicular to the leg -- a far cry from mere insulation.
"The feathers were arranged in a relatively wide, flat plane, making it a potentially flight-worthy design," said a team of Chinese scientists studying feathered fossils. "These features suggest that the metatarsal feathers were aerodynamic in function, providing lift, creating drag, and/or enhancing maneuverability, and thus played a role in flight."
However, the study could not conclude whether these feathers were actually used for flying or not. Since the imprinted fossils were only two-dimensional, scientists could not recognize how the feathers related to the legs in real life.
