Scientists discover 'missing link' between dinosaurs and birds in China

Called the Wulong bohaiensis, which translates to "dancing dragon," this newly discovered feathered dinosaur once lived in the Jehol Province of northeastern China 120 million years ago

By AARON REICH
A fossil of a dinosaur claw. (photo credit: DEAN MOUHTAROPOULOS/GETTY IMAGES)
A fossil of a dinosaur claw.
(photo credit: DEAN MOUHTAROPOULOS/GETTY IMAGES)
The fabled "missing link" may have finally been tracked down.
While many are aware of the evolutionary connection between dinosaurs and birds, a missing link between the two had evaded scientists for many years.
However, according to new findings published in the academic journal The Anatomical Record, this link may finally have been tracked down.
Called the Wulong bohaiensis, which translates to "dancing dragon," this newly discovered feathered dinosaur once lived in the Jehol Province of northeastern China 120 million years ago, according to CNN.
The dinosaur was about the size of a raven but twice as long and possessing forelimbs resembling wings and a long and bony tail. It's body was completely feathered, and had two plumes at the end of the tail, as well as feathers on its legs.
The mouth was narrow and filled with teeth, and its bones were small and light, like a bird.
The fossil was discovered a decade ago by a farmer and was kept in the Dalian Natural History Museum in China, but researchers were able to analyze the fossil later.
"The new dinosaur fits in with an incredible [range] of feathered, winged animals that are closely related to the origin of birds," said the study's author Ashley Poust, according to CNN. 
"Studying specimens like this not only shows us the sometimes surprising paths that ancient life has taken, but also allows us to test ideas about how important bird characteristics, including flight, arose in the distant past."
According to Poust, who is currently a postdoctoral research student at the San Diego Natural History Museum, the fossil was of a juvenile, which grew feathers far more quickly than modern birds. This indicates that the tail feathers may have served an as yet unknown purpose.

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Poust added that this finding reflects the diversity of prehistoric northeastern China, which is known to be rich in preserved and diverse paleontological findings, with birds, pterasours and dinosaurs all flourishing in the region.
"There was a lot of flying, gliding and flapping around these ancient lakes," Poust explained.
"As we continue to discover more about the diversity of these small animals, it becomes interesting how they all might have fit into the ecosystem. It was an alien world, but with some of the earliest feathers and earliest flowers, it would have been a pretty one."


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