Beautifully preserved skeleton fossil discovered of raptor two metres long with impressive plumage
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Monday, December 23, 2024


Beautifully preserved skeleton fossil discovered of raptor two metres long with impressive plumage
Artist’s impression of Zhenyuanlong suni. Photo: Chuang Zhao.

By: Mariette Le Roux



PARIS (AFP).- Depicted by movie-makers as mean, green, man-eating lizards covered in scales, velociraptors probably looked more like large, toothy turkeys, a study said Thursday.

Close study of a newly-discovered cousin dubbed Zhenyuanlong suni, has revealed that velociraptors likely had large wings and feathery coats, according to research published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"The real velociraptor was not a green, scaly monster like in Jurassic Park," study co-author Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh told AFP.

"The real velociraptor looked like Zhenyuanlong: a fluffy feathered killer."

Brusatte and a team made a fossil reconstruction of Zhenyuanlong, one of the velociraptor's closest relatives, which lived in China's northeastern Liaoning province some 125 million years ago.

It is the largest dinosaur with wings discovered to date.

Zhenyuanlong was about two metres (6.6 feet) long from snout to tail, weighed about 20 kilos (44 pounds), and was a meat-eater.

"Zhenyuanlong is a dinosaur that looks just like a bird," Brusatte told AFP by email -- apart from sharp claws on its wings and a mouth full of teeth.

The Chinese fossil is so well preserved that one can clearly see different kinds of feathers, including hair-like plumes on the body and big quill pen feathers on the arms. 

Zhenyuanlong would have had "dense feathers" on its wings and tail, according to the team's analysis.

"So it is a fairly large dinosaur with short arms bit it still has wings that look just like those of living birds," Brusatte said.

"That raises a really big mystery: why would such an animal have wings?"

It was probably not for flying: Zhenyuanlong was too big and its arms too short to allow it to take to the air.

The team speculated the wings may have been used for display or for protecting its eggs in the nest.

"And maybe that means that wings didn't even initially evolve for flight, but for another function!" Brusatte said.

"A few years ago, I think most paleontologists would have said that big feathers and wings evolved for flight. But now we don't know anymore."

Scientists had previously observed quill attachment points, or knobs, on the arms velociraptor fossils, but no actual feathers -- meaning they did not know what type or size of plumes it would have had, or for what purpose.

"We are lucky with Zhenyuanlong. It is found in an area where volcanoes buried dinosaurs, preserving fine details of their feathers," Brusatte said.

"So Zhenyuanlong tells us what the feathers of velociraptor probably would have looked like.... They would have had feathers like Zhenyuanlong and even big wings on the arms," he said.

"They would also have been much smaller than their reconstructed movie counterparts.

"A real velociraptor was a little smaller than Zhenyuanlong," Brusatte added.

"It was only about the size of a poodle dog!"

Paleontologists believe the first birds appeared 150 million years ago and were descendants of small feathered dinosaurs.



© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse










Today's News

July 18, 2015

Spanish museums invite blind to touch masterpieces with added volume and texture

Bulgaria's Valley of Thracian Kings, accidentally discovered in 1944, keeps its secrets

Beautifully preserved skeleton fossil discovered of raptor two metres long with impressive plumage

Roman frescos unique in France discovered on the right bank of the Rhône River in Arles

Exhibition traces the effects of three synthetic blue pigments on French artists

Exhibition connecting Warhol to the underground New York scene on view at the Centre Pompidou-Metz

Japan rips up 2020 stadium plan amid public anger over its $2 billion price tag

2D-3D: Glass & Vapor: Solo exhibition of Larry Bell's work opens at White Cube Mason's Yard

Celebrated British painter Rachel Howard shows new work at Hastings' Jerwood Gallery

Seán Scully's first museum exhibition in Cork celebrates his progression from figurative to abstract artist

Studio in the Park: The Queens Museum presents its ArtBuilt Mobile Studio Residency Program

'The boys the girls and the political: Exhibition at Lisson Gallery brings together 10 international artists

Peter Regli's first New York City solo exhibition on view at Dominique Lévy Gallery

Abstract, conceptual, figurative, surreal and symbolist paintings on view at Dadiani Fine Art

Soft Core: A bifocal group show on view at Invisible-Exports

Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego opens exhibition of works by Anya Gallaccio

GM Architects announced winner of International Architecture Award 2015

Peter Blum presents a summer exhibition of books and prints published by Peter Blum Edition

Tower: Expansive group show of works on paper on view at Ibid London

Summer 2015 international artists-in-residence unveil new works

Salzburg Festival promises high art despite lower budget

Steven Holl Architects breaks ground for the Ex of In House in Rhinebeck, New York

Berry Campbell Gallery is expanding




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
(52 8110667640)

Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful