Early birdlike dinosaurs are believed to have lived in trees. However, a recently discovered creature had surprisingly long legs that may have allowed it to live a more active lifestyle.
“It looks similar to Archaeopteryx… except for its legs,” says paleontologist Min Wang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. “Fujianvenator has exceptionally long legs.”
Wang and his colleagues have identified this creature as one of the earliest avialans, a group that diverged from other dinosaurs and eventually evolved into birds. The first avialans play a crucial role in the origin of birds, but little is known about them due to the limited number of fossils found.
Previously discovered early avialans, including Archaeopteryx, had short limbs, suggesting they were adapted for tree-dwelling. However, the lower leg bones of the pheasant-sized F. prodigiosus were twice as long as its thigh bones, a unique characteristic not found in other birdlike dinosaurs.
2023-09-06 10:00:00
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