Excavated in southeastern China, fossils of Jurassic birds are said to have a significant impact on the history of bird evolution, according to researchers.
The recently discovered Baminolis Zengensis, a bird the size of a quail, flew in the skies approximately 150 million years ago during the Jurassic period. A study about it was published on Wednesday in the Nature Journal. In essence, it is one of the oldest known birds to humanity, alongside the iconic Archeopteryx found in Germany in 1862 and of a similar age.
“For over 150 years, Archeopteryx has stood alone,” said Steve Bursatte, a paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh. Further explanation on the research accompanied this statement.
“All this time, it has remained as the sole unsuspecting bird fossil from the Jurassic era,” he mentioned to NBC News via email.
While other bird-like Jurassic fossils were found, there was a “significant mystery and frustrating gap” in the fossil record, according to Bursatte. So, where were their fossils?
The 2023 discovery of Baminornis in Zhenghe County, Fujian Province, China, filled that gap and became one of the most important discoveries since Archeopteryx, labeling it as “the second unsuspecting bird from the Jurassic era.”
Unlike the half-bird, half-reptile that had a long, thin tail resembling a velociraptor, Baminonis had a short tail where some vertebrae fused into short, sturdy nubins pushing the body center towards the wings, similar to modern birds for better flying.
Until the discovery of Baminoris, short tails were only found in birds known to have lived around 20 million years later, such as Eoconfuciusornis and Protopteryx.
Brusatte expressed excitement that Baminoris was more advanced than Archeopteryx and could fly much better.
Baminornis was more anatomically complex than Archeopteryx, being a “primitive” bird with claws and sharp teeth resembling dinosaur ancestors.
The discovery of two similarly aged birds about 5,500 miles apart led the nature research team to believe that bird evolution took place millions of years earlier than previously thought.
In addition to dozens of fossils of aquatic or semi-aquatic animals, the Zhenghe Fauna collection included at least three Aviaran fossils, enriching the understanding of early diversification and filling important gaps in the evolutionary history of terrestrial ecosystems towards the end of the Jurassic era according to researchers.
Baminornis fossils preserved most of the skeleton, but the wings were not preserved, leaving questions about their size and wing structure. The lack of a skull also limits clues regarding their diet.
Nevertheless, Baminornis suggests that various birds lived during the Jurassic period and flew in different ways,” Brusatte said.
Source: www.nbcnews.com
