A bizarre new species of bat-winged dinosaur from China was announced yesterday in Nature magazine.
The name Yi qi, (pronounced "ee chee") means "strange wing." The fossil, presented by by Xu Xing, et al., shows evidence of elongated rod-like bones extending from the wrist which would have supported membranous wings.
(Link to video) Although the pigeon-sized animal also had a feathery body coating, the feathers functioned more to regulate body heat, like the fur of a flying squirrel or bat. Whether this Jurassic maniraptoran theropod used its wings to flap or just to glide is still unclear.
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Nature: "A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran theropod with preserved evidence of membranous wings"
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Nature: "A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran theropod with preserved evidence of membranous wings"
"Endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful" indeed!
ReplyDeleteI was talking to my dino-savvy friends, and we all fervently hope this isn't another Chinese hoax fossil, given how chimera-like it is.
ReplyDeleteKessie, it does sound like PT Barnum, but I doubt if it would get past Xu Xing, Nature, and peer reviewers like Kevin Padian if it wasn't legit.
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