Paleontologists speculate that this feathered dinosaur is the first known bird

May 30, 2013 20:11 GMT  ·  By
Paleontologists discover new dinosaur species, say it could be the earliest known member of the bird family tree
   Paleontologists discover new dinosaur species, say it could be the earliest known member of the bird family tree

They say the early bird gets the worm. Well then, I can only assume that this feathered dinosaur, which used to inhabit the Earth about 150 million years ago, got to sink its teeth into thousands of worms.

The species has recently been identified as a new one with the help of several fossil remains first unearthed by a farmer in China's Liaoning Province, sources say.

Paleontologists explain that the creature only measured about half a meter (1.6 feet) from beak to tail, and that its forelimbs were particularly long.

The dinosaur's body was covered in feathers almost in its entirety.

This anatomical feature, together with the fact that its teeth were small, sharp and triangular, has led scientists to the conclusion that Aurornis xui, as this species is named, might just be the earliest member of the bird family tree thus far documented by science.

“In my opinion, it's a bird. ut these sorts of hypotheses are very controversial. We’re at the origins of a group. The differences between birds and [non-avian] dinosaurs are very thin,” paleontologist Pascal Godefroit explains.

Although there is no strong scientific evidence to support this claim, researchers say that this dinosaur species was most likely unable to fly.