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Could ‘four-winged’ dinosaurs fly?

Author

Listed:
  • Kevin Padian

    (Museum of Paleontology, University of California)

  • Kenneth P. Dial

    (University of Montana)

Abstract

Arising from: X. Xu et al. Nature 421, 335–340 (2003); F. Zhang & Z. Zhou Nature 431, 925 (2004); X. Xu et al. reply ; F. Zhang et al. reply Our understanding of the origin of birds, feathers and flight has been greatly advanced by new discoveries of feathered non-avian dinosaurs, but functional analyses have not kept pace with taxonomic descriptions. Zhang and Zhou describe feathers on the tibiotarsus of a new basal enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of China1. They infer, as did Xu and colleagues from similar feathers on the small non-avian theropod Microraptor found in similar deposits2, that these leg feathers had aerodynamic properties and so might have been used in some kind of flight.

Suggested Citation

  • Kevin Padian & Kenneth P. Dial, 2005. "Could ‘four-winged’ dinosaurs fly?," Nature, Nature, vol. 438(7066), pages 3-3, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:438:y:2005:i:7066:d:10.1038_nature04354
    DOI: 10.1038/nature04354
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