{"id":1700,"date":"2026-06-04T13:38:27","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T13:38:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1700"},"modified":"2026-06-04T13:38:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T13:38:27","slug":"fossil-reveals-bizarre-gliding-creature-that-hunted-birds-120-million-years-ago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1700","title":{"rendered":"Fossil reveals bizarre gliding creature that hunted birds 120 million years ago"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<div> <div>\n<button>\n<strong>\n<span><svg>\n<\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span>Summary<\/span>\n<\/strong>\n<span><svg><\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<span><svg><\/svg>\n<\/span>\n<\/button>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>Scientists have newly identified a species of microraptor from a 120 million-year-old fossil found in northwestern China.<\/li>\n<li>The winged dinosaur was about the size of a barn owl and glided between trees hunting birds.<\/li>\n<li>The well-preserved shoulder bones could offer new clues about how these feathered predators evolved the ability to fly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div>\n<span>AI-generated summary was reviewed by a CNN editor.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            A 120 million-year-old fossil found in what\u2019s now northwestern China is changing how scientists think about an unusual group of predatory dinosaurs known as microraptors.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1688\">Some of what happens during youth can\u2019t be reversed. It\u2019s another reason to rethink kids\u2019 screen time<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            The location where the fossil was unearthed adds to the known geographical range of the smaller, gliding cousin of the sickle-clawed velociraptor.<br\/>The bones also represent the most recent definitive microraptor specimen in the fossil record, expanding the timeline for how long the feathered dinosaurs existed.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            A new analysis of the intact shoulder and forelimb bones, first mentioned in a study abstract in 2010, showed the fossil belonged to a previously unknown microraptor species. The research team has named the dinosaur Jian changmaensis, according to the study published Thursday in the journal .\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Jian references a one-winged bird in Chinese mythology as a nod to the dinosaur\u2019s birdlike characteristics. The species name was also a nod to the Changma Basin in Gansu province, where the fossil was uncovered \u2014 and so far, it\u2019s the only microraptor specimen to be found outside northeastern China.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cJian changmaensis reveals that non-avian dinosaurs lived in what is now the Changma Basin, an area famous for its fossil birds,\u201d said study coauthor Dr. Matt Lamanna, senior dinosaur researcher and Mary R. Dawson Curator of Vertebrate Paleontology at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh, in a statement.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cOur team has recovered more than one hundred bird fossils at Changma, but only this single non-avian dinosaur specimen. Jian provides critical new information on the biological history of the Changma region and the ecological context of the ancestors of today\u2019s birds.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The well-preserved fossil could help researchers understand better how microraptors used their wings to move between trees \u2014 offering new clues aboutthe origins of avian flight, according to Lamanna.\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n        A gliding predator\n<\/h2>\n<p>\n            At first glance, artist reconstructions of microraptors look like a depiction of birds.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cIf you saw that thing sitting in a tree, you wouldn\u2019t think velociraptor from \u2018Jurassic Park,\u2019\u201d Lamanna told CNN. \u201cThis is an extraordinarily birdlike dinosaur that could take to the air to some degree.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The microraptor's fossil only comprises a few bones, but it remains preserved in 3D.\" class=\"wp-image-1695\" height=\"739\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f2fa36b07fe9b37d40e6ff265f0c9f8f.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f2fa36b07fe9b37d40e6ff265f0c9f8f.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f2fa36b07fe9b37d40e6ff265f0c9f8f-300x289.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>The microraptor&#8217;s fossil only comprises a few bones, but it remains preserved in 3D.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Hailu You<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Feathers covered a microraptor\u2019s body \u2014 perhaps even more feathers than a bird because in addition to their arms, or \u201cwings,\u201d the dinosaurs also had long feathers on their hind legs, giving the appearance of four wings.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThat\u2019s led many paleontologists to suggest that these things probably lived on the ground some but probably could climb and glided from tree to tree, almost like a modern flying squirrel,\u201d Lamanna said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The smallest microraptors were similar in size to modern crows. Jian changmaensis was likely the size of a barn owl. Other fossils that might belong to the microraptor genus hint that these creatures could have reached larger sizes, which suggests that Jian changmaensis was somewhere in the middle.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Velociraptors and microraptors were not birds, but they were closely related to ancestors of the earliest birds, such as Archaeopteryx.<br\/>The line separating dinosaurs and early birds becomes blurrier as more discoveries are made, Lamanna said, especially as fossils show characteristics of birdlike dinosaurs, or dinosaur-like birds. Modern birds remain the closest living relatives of the dinosaurs, which went extinct about 66 million years ago after a massive asteroid struck Earth.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<header>\n<span>\n      Related article\n    <\/span>\n<\/header>\n<section>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Archaepteryx fossil under UV light\" class=\"wp-image-1696\" height=\"144\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/461e2551b0de85b9dfa201b31db2c2cb.jpg\" width=\"256\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Archaepteryx fossil under UV light<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Delaney Drummond\/Field Museum<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n<span>A rare Archaeopteryx fossil was kept from scientists for decades. Its first-ever analysis reveals \u2018one wow after another\u2019<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<div>5  min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            \u201cThey\u2019re all dinosaurs in an evolutionary sense, but it really depends on which side of Archaeopteryx you fall,\u201d Lamanna said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            For Jian changmaensis\u2019s fossil, the dead giveaway that the wing belonged to a microraptor rather than an ancient bird, like so many others at the Changma Basin, was a distinctive feature in the coracoid, a component of the shoulder structure.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The supracoracoid fenestra is a large hole that nearly bisects the shoulder bone. The feature is something all microraptors possess but almost no other creature has, Lamanna said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The purpose of this hole remains an open question for researchers; Lamanna said he believes it might be related to flight. Like modern birds, microraptors had long shoulder bones. Jian changmaensis has an exceptionally long one.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cIt could have something to do with gliding or something about animals that are on the line to birds changing their shoulder structure to become more suited to flight effectively,\u201d Lamanna said.\n    <\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1680\">New details\u202frevealed of Epstein assistant\u2019s abuse allegations as GOP lawmakers call for DOJ investigation<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\n            The fossil is only made up of a few bones, but the length indicates that the dinosaur was likely a flier, said Steve Brusatte, a professor of paleontology and evolution at Scotland\u2019s University of Edinburgh.<br\/>Brusatte was not involved in the study.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cThis is neat, a new fossil of those dinosaurs that were basically on the cusp of becoming true birds,\u201d Brusatte said.\n    <\/p>\n<h2>\n        A rare fossil in the Changma Basin\n<\/h2>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"The Changma Basin, the site of an ancient lake, is in northwestern China's Gansu province.\" class=\"wp-image-1697\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ae2f3e9a9427c93625a48f303fc8f077.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ae2f3e9a9427c93625a48f303fc8f077.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ae2f3e9a9427c93625a48f303fc8f077-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>The Changma Basin, the site of an ancient lake, is in northwestern China&#8217;s Gansu province.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Matt Lamanna<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Researchers continue to speculate about why velociraptor\u2019s smaller relatives evolved wings and took to the trees in the first place, but Lamanna suspects there was an open niche for tree-dwelling predators that microraptors filled.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Microraptor\u2019s cousins lived on the ground, but inhabiting the canopy and gliding from tree to tree might have been a safer way to stay out of reach of larger meat-eating dinosaurs.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cMaybe these things started out on the ground, they started climbing and then once they\u2019re up in the trees, you know, they evolve features to help them stay,\u201d Lamanna said.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            So what did Jian changmaensis feast on? Taking advantage of its arboreal habitat, birds were likely on the menu.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<header>\n<span>\n      Related article\n    <\/span>\n<\/header>\n<section>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"20210921-dinosaurs-flight-storytop-GFX\" class=\"wp-image-1698\" height=\"144\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f8b355c3efdd4e58aa08aff0d48d0dc2.jpg\" width=\"256\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\n<span>\u2018Giant flying murder heads\u2019 and other creatures that ruled the ancient sky<\/span>\n<\/p>\n<div>9  min read<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            Previously, a microraptor fossil was found with the bones of a bird inside of its rib cage. And Lamanna\u2019s coauthor Jingmai O\u2019Connor, vertebrate paleontologist and associate curator of fossil reptiles at Chicago\u2019s Field Museum, also pointed out wads of bone found in the Changma Basin resemble pellets that owls regurgitate after feeding on prey.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Jian may have also snacked on Gansus yumenensis, one of the first birds from the age of the dinosaurs ever found in China. Paleontologists uncovered that fossil in 1981 in the Changma Basin.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Lamanna and his team have been investigating the Changma Basin since 2004. They have recovered complete skeletons, some with feathers and skin, indicating that Gansus had webbed feet and likely spent at least some of its time in the water.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            With the discovery of Jian, researchers finally know what was likely eating Gansus and other ancient birds at the site, Lamanna said. But if that\u2019s the case, why has only one microraptor fossil been recovered at the site?\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cIf you could take a time machine back 120 million years ago, you\u2019d be on the shore of a vast lake with vegetation surrounding it,\u201d Lamanna said. \u201cIt stands to reason that maybe if you\u2019re looking in a lake, you might find the animals that are living there more than you would find the animals that are living around the margins.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            Many bird and microraptor fossils are typically found crushed, flattened into two dimensions, which makes studying their bones and flight capabilities more challenging. But Jian\u2019s fossil wing was preserved in three dimensions.\n    <\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Researchers work in a quarry at the Changma Basin.\" class=\"wp-image-1699\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e34c0434a3745c0bd732e32e3bba13c4.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e34c0434a3745c0bd732e32e3bba13c4.jpg 768w, https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/e34c0434a3745c0bd732e32e3bba13c4-300x225.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<span>Researchers work in a quarry at the Changma Basin.<\/span>\n<\/div>\n<figcaption>Jingmai O&#8217;Connor<\/figcaption>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n            It\u2019s rare to see the shoulder of a microraptor in 3D, said T. Alexander Dececchi, assistant professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota. Dececchi did not participate in this study but has researched other microraptor specimens.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            \u201cIt also expands the geographic range and helps show the diversity in anatomy of this group, all of which is important in determining where, when and who among them could use aerial locomotion,\u201d Dececchi wrote in an email. \u201cIt also likely represents a different paleoenviroment, which, when added to our knowledge of the diverse diets these guys had, suggests that though all but one suspected Microraptorine are from northeastern China, within that area and time they were a common and widespread component of the ecosystem.\u201d\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            The fossil will also enable scientists to study wing and flight evolution for microraptors, he added.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n            As a next step, Lamanna said he and his colleagues are interested in scanning the wing to see what it might reveal about the flight or gliding capabilities of microraptors.\n    <\/p>\n<p>\n    Sign up for CNN\u2019s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more.\n<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1676\">Trump has mostly lost challenges against \u2018sanctuary\u2019 cities and states, but that could change<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A fossil found in what\u2019s now northwestern China belonged to a microraptor, a gliding dinosaur that hunted ancient birds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1689,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,8,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1700","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-paleontology","category-science","category-unearthed"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Fossil reveals bizarre gliding creature that hunted birds 120 million years ago - Relocation Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1700\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Fossil reveals bizarre gliding creature that hunted birds 120 million years ago - Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A fossil found in what\u2019s now northwestern China belonged to a microraptor, a gliding dinosaur that hunted ancient birds.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/?p=1700\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-04T13:38:27+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationtimess.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/f2fa36b07fe9b37d40e6ff265f0c9f8f.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"768\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"739\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"8 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1700#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1700\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/3d25fb966f660ab012820a9e0acc09be\"},\"headline\":\"Fossil reveals bizarre gliding creature that hunted birds 120 million years ago\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-04T13:38:27+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1700\"},\"wordCount\":1554,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1700#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/4108f1ef089d54c1a3cd5945f8b79759.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Paleontology\",\"Science\",\"Unearthed\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1700#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1700\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationtimess.com\\\/?p=1700\",\"name\":\"Fossil reveals bizarre gliding creature that hunted birds 120 million years ago - 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