Dalianraptor

Dalianraptor (meaning "Dalian thief") is a genus of prehistoric bird that lived in China about 120 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous Period. It is very similar to the contemporary avialian Jeholornis, though it has a longer digit I (thumb-equivalent) and shorter forelimbs,[1] which suggests it may have been flightless. Reaching about 80 centimetres (31 in) in length, it was found in Jiufotang Formation rocks in Liaoning Province.

Dalianraptor
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 120 Ma
↓
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Ornithurae
Class: Aves
Genus: †Dalianraptor
Gao & Liu, 2005
Species:
†D. cuhe
Binomial name
†Dalianraptor cuhe
Gao & Liu, 2005

More recently, it is being suspected that the specimen is a chimera forged for the fossil trade, namely a Jeholornis with the arms exchanged by those of a flightless theropod.[2][3]

References
  1. Chiappe, Luis M.; Dyke, Gareth J. (2006). "The Early Evolutionary History of Birds". Journal of the Paleontological Society of Korea. 22 (1): 133–151.
  2. Naish, Darren. "Getting a major chapter on birds – ALL birds – into a major book on dinosaurs | Tetrapod Zoology, Scientific American Blog Network". Blogs.scientificamerican.com. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0026350. Retrieved 2014-02-02.
  3. Matthew Martyniuk (2012-08-10). "DinoGoss: The Strange Bird Dalianraptor cuhe". Dinogoss.blogspot.com.au. Retrieved 2014-02-02.


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