Scientists have described a fossil of a new dinosaur that lived in China 125 million years ago this week which was covered in feathers.
The meat-eating creature, which has been called Changyuraptor yangi, had very large tail feathers that measured around one foot in length. They are considered the longest feathers of any dinosaur.
Changyuraptor is not considered a bird, instead it is known as a very "bird-like dinosaur," according to Reuters.
Researchers estimated that it measured around 4 feet long and weighed roughly 9 pounds.
"So, think a mid-sized turkey with a very long tail," Turner said.
Scientists have described at least a handful of these four-winged dinosaurs, called microraptorines.
Changyuraptor is considered the largest, according to Reuters.
Archaeopteryx, which lived some about 150 million years ago, is considered the earliest known bird. A number of other dinos before and after had feathers however and other bird-like characteristics.
"Changyuraptor is very, very similar to Archaeopteryx and other primitive birds. So are many other dinosaurs like Anchiornis and Pedopenna. But they have some traits that birds lack, and lack some traits that birds have," Turner said.
Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County paleontologist Luis Chiappe led the study, according to Reuters.
Chiappe said Changyuraptor lived in a forested environment in a temperate climate where it could hunt small reptiles, fish, birds, and mammals.
"Animals like Changyuraptor were probably not engaged in powered flight like modern birds. However, Changyuraptor and dinosaurs like it could flap their wings and certainly had large feathered surfaces on both their forelimbs and hind limbs," Turner said.
The study was published this week the journal Nature Communications.
"So this does raise the possibility they could glide or 'fly' in a primitive sort of way. The way I like to think of it is: if you pushed them out of a tree, they'd fall pretty slowly," Turner said.
If Changyuraptor were to become airborne, its long feather could have helped reduce decent speed and allowed for safe landings, according to Reuters.
"This helps explain how animals like Changyuraptor could engage in some form of aerial locomotion - flight, gliding, and/or controlled descents - despite their size," Turner said.
For modern birds, feathers can be used in a number of ways besides for flying, including display, species, mating rituals, and recognition.
Turner said Changyuraptor's feathers might have served multiple purposes.
China is now known as a treasure trove for feathered dinosaur fossils. Changyuraptor was discovered in Liaoning Province in northeastern China.
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