Researchers Identify 120-Million-Year-Old Jian changmaensis in China as Latest Definitive Microraptor Fossil
Updated
Updated · CNN · Jun 4
Researchers Identify 120-Million-Year-Old Jian changmaensis in China as Latest Definitive Microraptor Fossil
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Jun 4
Summary
A 120-million-year-old fossil from Gansu’s Changma Basin has been identified as a new microraptor species, Jian changmaensis, in a study published Thursday in Annals of Carnegie Museum.
Intact shoulder and forelimb bones showed the hallmark microraptor shoulder opening and an unusually long shoulder bone, helping researchers distinguish it from ancient birds and suggesting strong gliding or flight capability.
The specimen is the only confirmed microraptor found outside northeastern China and the most recent definitive fossil for the group, extending both its known geographic range and survival timeline.
Its rare three-dimensional preservation could sharpen studies of how four-winged microraptors moved through trees and how birdlike dinosaurs evolved toward powered flight.
The find also reshapes the Changma Basin ecosystem: a site known for more than 100 bird fossils now has evidence of a likely tree-dwelling predator that may have preyed on early birds there.
Did this newly found gliding predator hunt the ancestors of birds in China's ancient forests?
Was the 'four-winged' dinosaur a failed flight experiment or the key to how modern birds learned to fly?
Jian changmaensis: A Groundbreaking Microraptor Discovery Expands the Evolutionary Story of Feathered Dinosaurs and Early Birds
Overview
A major paleontological breakthrough was achieved with the discovery of Jian changmaensis, a new species of microraptor, from a 120-million-year-old fossil in the Changma Basin, Gansu province, northwestern China. Led by Dr. Matt Lamanna, the research team found that this is the first definitive microraptor specimen outside northeastern China, greatly expanding the known range of these feathered dinosaurs. This find is important because it shows that non-avian dinosaurs lived in the Changma Basin, helping scientists better understand the distribution and timeline of feathered dinosaurs in ancient ecosystems.