This four-winged dinosaur may have terrorized Earth's earliest birds
Paleontologists have identified a new feathered dinosaur species, Jianchangmaensis, in China. Researchers believe this predator may have been responsible for the accumulation of bird bones found at the site.
Why it matters
This discovery provides new insights into the predatory behaviors of early feathered dinosaurs and their relationship with the ancestors of modern birds.
A remarkable fossil site in northwestern China has yielded hundreds of prehistoric bird remains, including clusters of shattered bones compressed into pellet-like masses resembling those produced by modern owls. For years, paleontologists suspected that a larger predator was responsible for hunting these birds, but no direct evidence of such an animal had ever been found.
Scientific reporting based on peer-reviewed research.
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