Missing link between dinosaurs and birds may be found; understand

In southeastern China, scientists have discovered the fossilized skeleton of a species that defies the line between dinosaurs and birds, raising a debate about the evolutionary theory of birds.

baptized by Fujianvenator prodigiosus, many researchers believe that the fossil is possibly a missing link in the evolutionary processthat led to modern birds.

The missing link

Representation of what the Fujianvenator. (Photo: Zhao Chuang/Reproduction)

What makes this discovery so remarkable is that the Fujianvenator is estimated to be about 30 million years older than any fossil of bird confirmed to date.

Paleontologists, led by Min Wang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, carried out a detailed analysis comparing the Fujianvenator with other dinosaurs of the time and more modern birds.

The result indicated that the creature, the size of a pheasant and probably feathered, belonged to the ancestral group

Avialae, which includes both modern birds and their closest dinosaur relatives.

The region where it was found was named the Zhenghe Fauna in recognition of its extraordinary diversity and unique composition at that time in Earth's history.

A milestone in paleontology

Until recently, the dinosaur known as Archeopteryx, around 150 million years old, was considered a milestone in the evolution of modern birds.

However, new discoveries suggest it has even more similarities to a group called Deinonychosauria than with the Avialae.

With few fossils resembling these older birds, scientists have had difficulty visualizing what early birds looked like.

The discovery of Fujianvenator, which appeared just a few million years after the Archeopteryx, may provide some answers.

The characteristics of the pelvis Fujianvenator are more similar to those of dinosaurs less bird-like, suggesting that the wing morphological transition began very early in avian ancestors.

That is, this implies that the Fujianvenator followed a different evolutionary direction from that which led to the development of birds.

Min Wang, the research leader, notes:

“Our comparative analyzes show that marked changes in body plan occurred along the Avialae line initial, largely driven by the forelimb, eventually giving rise to the typical proportion of limbs birds”.

However, he adds that the Fujianvenator is a peculiar species that diverged from this main trajectory and developed an unusual hindlimb architecture.

It is believed that the Fujianvenator it could have been a long-legged swamp dweller or a high-speed runner, although more fossils are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

The discovery marks the first time that a possible ancestor Avialae with swamp characteristics was identified, in contrast to other dinosaurs of the time that were more adapted to living in trees.