A farmer in Mutoudeng, Hebei Province in China find the odd piece of stone, which turned out to contain fossils of the unusual ancient animals: a small dinosaur that had batlike wings.
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| An artist's impression of the newfound dinosaur with batlike wings. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1EKjNbW) |
The paleontologist who analyzed the fossils reveals, unlike dinosaurs ever found, the creature allegedly was an early form of flying dinosaurs that 'failed'.
Its form was not as close relatives - bird or bird-like dinosaurs. Based on the specimens were found, is is known to have long bones like twigs on the wrist that is connected with a thin membrane can be stretched. Like a bat.
The creature was first known dinosaur has membrane wings. Thus said Xing Xu, a paleontologist from the Linyi University, China, and one of the authors in a study published in the Nature journal on April 29, 2015.
"This is the most surprising findings of our ever get. Though I have found a number of strange dinosaurs throughout my career," Xu said, as quoted from LiveScience on Friday, May 1, 2015.
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| The only known specimen of Yi qi. (Picture from: http://bit.ly/1zltVaK) |
Xu and his colleagues named the species as Yi qi (in English read: ee chee), which means 'strange wings' in Mandarin. Yi qi in the group of dinosaurs called theropods - which mostly are carnivorous. It is also able to enter into sub-groups of tiny feathered dinosaur called scansoriopterygids. Scientists estimate, Yi qi weighs less than 1 pound (380 grams).
The team led by Xu encounter long bones like twigs that extends from the creature's wrist, which is associated with soft membrane tissue - like bat wings or a flying squirrel. Previously, never found a dinosaur that had a similar wing. The creature also has a feather - but not being used to fly like a bird.
Yi qi is most likely not an accomplished aviator. He allegedly moved in the air with a combination of flapping and gliding movements. "You could say 'fly experiments that failed' among the bird predecessors," said Xu. "However, we do not know where the failure occurred."
During the early evolution of dinosaurs such as birds, several different body shapes appear, but only the feathered wings that last through time. Became the forerunner of modern birds. "Perhaps because it is more efficient than the bat-like wings," said Xu.
Some scientists praised the findings, more skeptical. "This is the finding that menganggumkan. According to me, it is one of the most unpredictable dinosaurs and the strangest has been found during the past few years," said Stephen Brusatte, a paleontologist from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. "The ability to fly might be evolved multiple times among the dinosaurs. However, only one group - birds - are able to survive until now."
However, the study triggered a debate in the scientific community. According to Luis Chiappe, a paleontologist and director of the Dinosaur Institute at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Chiappe said, because a number of fossils found in China previously doubtful authenticity. "I do not say this fossil engineered," he said. "But because of his body shape is too weird, the creature is very controversial and hard to believe."
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