Dalingheornis
| Dalingheornis Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 122 Ma | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | Ornithothoraces |
| Clade: | †Enantiornithes |
| Genus: | †Dalingheornis Zhang et al., 2006 |
| Species: | † D. liweii |
| Binomial name | |
| Dalingheornis liweii Zhang et al., 2006 | |
Dalingheornis is a genus of enantiornithine birds which lived during the early Cretaceous period, about 122 Ma ago, and are known from a single juvenile fossil found in the upper part of the Yixian Formation at Dawangzhangzi, Liaoning province, People's Republic of China. It is the first known Mesozoic bird with heterodactyl feet specifically adapted for climbing, and was probably among the most arboreal of the enantiornithines. Unlike its relatives, it had an unusually long (17mm) skeletal tail made up of 20 vertebrae, similar to the tails of dromaeosaurids.[1]
The fossil was named after Yang Liwei, the first Chinese astronaut in space. [2]
References
- ↑ Zhang, Z., Hou, L., Hasegawa, Y., O'Connor, J., Martin, L.D. and Chiappe, L.M. (2006). "The first Mesozoic heterodactyl bird from China." Acta Geologica Sinica, 80(5): 631-635.
- ↑ Zhang, Z., Hou, L., Hasegawa, Y., O'Connor, J., Martin, L.D. and Chiappe, L.M. (2006). "The first Mesozoic heterodactyl bird from China." Acta Geologica Sinica, 80(5): 631-635.
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