Batman should be scared about these new findings because a fossil from Northern China has revealed something unexpected. The fossil with membranous wings could show us that some Jurassic dinosaurs had another type of evolution. Maybe today they could have been the older and bigger versions of the modern bats. Everything that the researchers have discovered was published in the Nature journal on May 8, and we will give you some interesting details about it.
A Fossil with Plumage?
The study has revealed a new fossil discovered in 2017 in a rock formation, dating from 163 million years ago. The name gave by researchers is Ambopteryx Longibranchium. You may wonder what is so extraordinary at a new fossil. Well, the fossil is very well conserved, because the remnants have plumage and tissues from the creature. A well-preserved fossil will always help researchers to piece together every piece of the puzzle and to recreate the history, the creature, the evolution, and other relevant information.
Besides this, the soft tissue found around the flanks and across the arms is showing that it is folding, and the leathery skin resembles wings. And this is not all! The dinosaur’s fossil has a long bone called Styliform. The Styliform bone extends from the wrist to the fingertips. The Ambopteryx has 13 inches in length, and according to the researchers, the creature has lived in the trees in that period. Also, the Ambopteryx belonged to a group of dinosaurs named Scansoriopterygids. All the dinosaurs from this group had thin arms, and Ambopteryx is the second fossil with Styliform bone.
Finally, this finding is significant because, through Ambopteryx, scientists can now be sure that dinosaurs have evolved to have wings. The first case of a fossil with wings was from a discovery in 2015, and the scientists have doubted what they had in front of their eyes. Now, the dinosaur with wings like bats can show us their evolution in the modern days.
Agnes is a technical writer, being in touch with reports to come up with the latest tech leaks.
