EyesOnSci | Jurassic fossil discovery in east China sheds new light on origin of birds-Xinhua
EyesOnSci | Jurassic fossil discovery in east China sheds new light on origin of birds
Source: Xinhua
Editor: huaxia
2025-02-13 20:32:17
BEIJING, Feb. 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have unearthed the oldest short-tailed bird fossil, dating back about 150 million years, in east China's Fujian Province. This suggests that birds might have originated earlier than previously thought.
The fossilized bird Baminornis zhenghensis was discovered in Zhenghe County, Fujian Province. Its short tail ends in a compound bone called the pygostyle, a feature uniquely present in modern birds. This indicates that the body structure of modern birds emerged in the Late Jurassic Period, 20 million years earlier than previously known.
The study, conducted by researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Fujian Institute of Geological Survey, was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature.
This illustration shows a restored image of the fossilized bird Baminornis zhenghensis and Zhenghe Fauna. (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology/Handout via Xinhua)Wang Min (L), a researcher with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Chen Runsheng, a professor-level senior engineer of Fujian Institute of Geological Survey (FIGS), poses for a photo at the FIGS, in Fuzhou, east China's Fujian Province, Feb. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)This combo photo shows an image of the fossilized bird Baminornis zhenghensis (above) and a skeleton diagram. (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology/Handout via Xinhua)Some members of the research team of fossilized bird Baminornis zhenghensis pose for a group photo at the Fujian Institute of Geological Survey (FIGS) in Fuzhou, east China's Fujian Province, Feb. 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Jiang Kehong)This file photo taken on Oct. 21, 2023 shows researchers of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and of the Fujian Institute of Geological Survey (FIGS) working at a field survey and excavation site in Zhenghe County, east China's Fujian Province. (Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology/Handout via Xinhua)Wang Min, a researcher with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), checks the sample of fossilized bird Baminornis zhenghensis at his office at IVPP in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)Wang Min (R), a researcher with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and Zhou Zhonghe, an academician of CAS, discuss on possible directions in future research efforts on the fossilized bird Baminornis zhenghensis at an office of IVPP in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)Wang Min, a researcher with the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), works at his office at IVPP in Beijing, capital of China, Feb. 10, 2025. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)■
