[] ''' Paleontologists have examined the 160-million-year-old fossils of Anchiornis huxleyi, a species of non-avian theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation in northeastern China, reserved with their feathers and found that these dinosaurs had lost the ability to fly.
This is an extremely rare finding that offers a glimpse into the functioning of creatures that lived 160 million years ago, and their impact on the evolution of flight in dinosaurs and birds... []
[] { ''' This finding has broad significance, as it suggests that the development of flight throughout the evolution of dinosaurs and birds was far more complex than previously believed... ''' } said Tel Aviv University paleontologist Yosef Kiat and his colleagues.
''' In fact, certain species may have developed basic flight abilities — and then lost them later in their evolution ! '''
''' The dinosaur lineage split from other reptiles 240 million years ago... Soon afterwards many dinosaurs developed feathers — a unique lightweight and strong organic structure, made of protein and used mainly for flight and for preserving body temperature... '''
Around 175 million years ago, a lineage of feathered dinosaurs called Pennaraptora emerged — the distant ancestors of modern birds and the only lineage of dinosaurs to survive the mass extinction that marked the end of the Mesozoic era 66 million years ago.
As far as we know, the Pennaraptora group developed feathers for flight, but it is possible that when environmental conditions changed, some of these dinosaurs lost their flight ability — just like the ostriches and penguins of today....
[] The Wing morphology of Anchiornis huxleyi and the evolution of molt strategies in paravian dinosaurs []
The Feathery Dinosaurs That Couldn’t Fly
^ Close inspection of { ''' Exceptionally Preserved ''' } fossils suggests that some dinosaurs shed their ability to take off
