A pre-Archaeopteryx troodontid theropod from China with long feathers on the metatarsus

Hu, Daogong; Hou, Lianping; Zhang, Lijun; Xu, Xing

doi:10.1038/nature08322

Cited by 314 publications

(415 citation statements)

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“…2) and are symmetrical on the forelimbs. Long, densely packed and symmetrical pennaceous feathers are present along the posterior part of the thigh and crus, consistent in distribution with the tetrapterygian condition of several other basal paravian taxa 2,16 . However, careful preparation shows that feathers were absent from the metatarsus and pes of YFGP-T5197.…”

Section: Nature Communications | Doisupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Locality and horizon. Yaolugou, Jianchang, western Liaoning, China; Middle-Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation [1][2][3] . Diagnosis.…”

Section: Systematic Palaeontologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There is no trace of a mandibular fenestra. The dentary has a groove that widens posteriorly and contains a row of foramina as in Archaeopteryx, Anchiornis, Xiaotingia, troodontids and some basal dromaeosaurids 2,3 . The teeth of Eosinopteryx are unserrated and sharp in contrast to the bulbous teeth of Xiaotingia 3 .…”

Section: Systematic Palaeontologymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…R ecent discoveries of feathered theropod dinosaurs in the Middle-Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation of western Liaoning Province, north-eastern China, have considerably challenged our understanding of the evolution and biology of the Paraves (the most-inclusive clade containing Passer domesticus Linnaeus, 1758 but not Oviraptor philoceratops Osborn, 1924; see Supplementary information) [1][2][3] . Large pennaceous feathers were already developed on the tail, forelimbs and hindlimbs, and particularly on the metatarsus and pes, of the troodontid Anchiornis 2 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Large pennaceous feathers were already developed on the tail, forelimbs and hindlimbs, and particularly on the metatarsus and pes, of the troodontid Anchiornis 2 . It has been postulated that large pennaceous feathers first evolved distally on the hindlimbs, as on the forelimbs and tail, in basal paravian theropods and only spread proximally at a subsequent stage in theropod evolution 2 . Moreover, the organization of the pedal feathers into a coherent planar surface suggests that they potentially had some aerodynamic function in Anchiornis 2 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Reduced plumage and flight ability of a new Jurassic paravian theropod from China

et al. 2013

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Section: Nature Communications | Doisupporting

confidence: 65%

“…Locality and horizon. Yaolugou, Jianchang, western Liaoning, China; Middle-Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation [1][2][3] . Diagnosis.…”

Section: Systematic Palaeontologymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Systematic Palaeontologymentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Reduced plumage and flight ability of a new Jurassic paravian theropod from China

et al. 2013

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High‐precision U‐Pb geochronology of the Jurassic Yanliao Biota from Jianchang (western Liaoning Province, China): Age constraints on the rise of feathered dinosaurs and eutherian mammals

Chu

Ramezani

et al. 2016

Geochem Geophys Geosyst

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The Yanliao Biota of northeastern China comprises the oldest feathered dinosaurs, transitional pterosaurs, as well as the earliest eutherian mammals, multituberculate mammals, and new euharamiyidan species that are key elements of the Mesozoic biotic record. Recent discovery of the Yanliao Biota in the Daxishan section near the town of Linglongta, Jianchang County in western Liaoning Province have greatly enhanced our knowledge of the transition from dinosaurs to birds, primitive to derived pterosaurs, and the early evolution of mammals. Nevertheless, fundamental questions regarding the correlation of fossilbearing strata, rates of dinosaur and mammalian evolution, and their relationship to environmental change in deep time remain unresolved due to the paucity of precise and accurate temporal constraints. These limitations underscore the importance of placing the rich fossil record of Jianchang within a high-resolution chronostratigraphic framework that has thus far been hampered by the relatively low precision of in situ radioisotopic dating techniques. Here we present high-precision U-Pb zircon geochronology by the chemical abrasion isotope dilution thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-ID-TIMS) from three interstratified ash beds previously dated by secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) technique. The results constrain the key fossil horizons of the Daxishan section to an interval spanning 160.89 to 160.25 Ma with 2r analytical uncertainties that range from 646 to 669 kyr. These data place the Yanliao Biota from Jianchang in the Oxfordian Stage of the Late Jurassic, and mark the Daxishan section as the site of Earth's oldest precisely dated feathered dinosaurs and eutherian mammals.

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Evolution of Avian Flight

Heers

2013

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences

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The origin of birds and of bird flight has drawn scientific interest since the inception of evolutionary thinking. Though early investigations were hampered by a paucity of fossils, new discoveries have filled in many gaps and provided unprecedented detail into morphological changes that attended the evolutionary appearance of birds and bird flight. Birds are now widely regarded as the descendents of theropod dinosaurs. In contrast, form–function relationships and behaviours that might have facilitated the evolutionary acquisition of flight remain widely debated. Given the versatility of extant birds, we should not expect to find only one solution to this problem. Nevertheless, much debate seems to stem not from looking for multiple plausible functions and behaviours, but rather from traditional ‘ground up’ versus ‘trees down’ assumptions and a general lack of experimental and ecological support for inferred form–function relationships. Many researchers have therefore called for more rigorous hypothesis testing, and a plethora of new techniques and perspectives are up to the challenge. Key Concepts: Birds are the descendents of bipedal theropod dinosaurs. Evolutionary assembly of the avian body plan occurred gradually, with bird‐like wings evolving before bird‐like skeletons, in conjunction with a reduction in body size and then a cranial shift in centre of mass. These changes took place via a series of transitional anatomical stages that were presumably associated with transitional functions and behaviours before becoming co‐opted for flapping flight. Many origin‐of‐flight hypotheses have been proposed, and it is challenging to discriminate among them. Much debate seems to stem from traditional ‘ground up’ versus ‘trees down’ assumptions and a general lack of experimental and ecological support for inferred form–function relationships. A growing number of researchers have therefore suggested that hypotheses must be consistent not only with the fossil record, but also with experimental support for form–function relationships and behaviours inferred by origin‐of‐flight scenarios. New techniques and perspectives are meeting this challenge and providing more rigorous insight into the origin of flight in birds. For example, recent work on developing birds with dinosaur‐like anatomies clearly demonstrates that behaviours involving the cooperative use of wings and legs (e.g. wing‐assisted incline running and steaming) act as a developmental (or evolutionary) bridge between leg‐based terrestrial locomotion and wing‐based aerial locomotion, by allowing developing birds (or evolving dinosaurs) to supplement their wings with their legs until the wings can fully support body weight during flight.

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A pre-Archaeopteryx troodontid theropod from China with long feathers on the metatarsus

Cited by 314 publications

References 19 publications

Reduced plumage and flight ability of a new Jurassic paravian theropod from China

Reduced plumage and flight ability of a new Jurassic paravian theropod from China

High‐precision U‐Pb geochronology of the Jurassic Yanliao Biota from Jianchang (western Liaoning Province, China): Age constraints on the rise of feathered dinosaurs and eutherian mammals

Evolution of Avian Flight

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