99 million yo toothed bird found near-perfectly preserved in amber

[dufus]

99 million yo toothed bird found near-perfectly preserved in amber (PHOTOS)

Published time: 8 Jun, 2017 20:29Edited time: 8 Jun, 2017 20:30

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File photo © AFP

Researchers in Myanmar have found a 99 million year old bird encased in amber – but don’t expect the discovery to be the beginnings of a Jurassic Park-style resort.

Scientists from China’s University of Geoscience mined the three-inch specimen – the most complete ever found from the Cretaceous period – in the Hukawng Valley in the north of the country.

READ MORE: ‘Sleeping dragon’ fossil the best preserved armored dinosaur ever found (PHOTO)

The study, published in the journal Gondwana Research, reads: “The new specimen brings a new level of detail to our understanding of the anatomy of the juvenile stages of the most species-rich clade of pre-modern birds.”

From the bird’s plumage, the team was able to determine that the hatchling belonged to a species  named ‘enantiornithines’ which died out at the time of the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

I mean, c'mon: look at the soft tissue details here. pic.twitter.com/NZs14UHvAK

— Lisa Buckley, PhD (@Lisavipes) June 8, 2017

 

LOOK AT THE FEETS. pic.twitter.com/Aiwut30rBp

— Lisa Buckley, PhD (@Lisavipes) June 8, 2017

Sadly, rather than being used as source material for a dinosaur theme park, the fossilized specimen has instead been sold to the Hupoge Amber Museum in Tengchong City, China.

Of the specimen, just the skull, neck, one wing and a hind limb are preserved in the amber – enough, researchers say, to better their understanding of toothed birds and how they compare to birds in the present day.

Chen Guang, curator of the museum and owner of the specimen, told Xinhua: "Many people thought it was a lizard. But the scales, thread-like feathers and sharp claws on the feet were so noticeable that I thought they must belong to a bird.”

Meanwhile, Tseng Kuo Wei of the University of Taipei believes the bird had been hunting at the time it was struck by the amber.

99-million-year-old fossilized lizard found in Asia, may be ‘missing link’ to ‘lost world’ https://t.co/udq9JlUaJQpic.twitter.com/bLkjUEAM9C

— RT (@RT_com) March 7, 2016

"There were no obvious signs of struggle,” he said. “The overall posture of the bird resembled hunting, with its lifted body, open claws and beak and spread wings. It was possibly engulfed by falling resin at the exact moment it was hunting."

In March, another near 100 million year old reptile was discovered encased in amber in Myanmar.

The fossil is about 75 million years older than the previous oldest lizard, according to researchers at the Florida Museum of Natural History.

https://www.rt.com/viral/391418-fossil-bird-amber-myanmar/

 

 

 

 

 

 

[myidisbb]

nice but always reserve possible fake since Chinese involvement from pass problems.  would be nice if proven real 

[tao]

20 minutes ago, myidisbb said:

nice but always reserve possible fake since Chinese involvement from pass problems.  would be nice if proven real 

Who to trust?

None except us.

And do we trust

Us?  No! 

 

 

[info999]

Jurassic Park, anyone ?

[luisam]

23 hours ago, dufus said:

Sadly, rather than being used as source material for a dinosaur theme park, the fossilized specimen has instead been sold to the Hupoge Amber Museum in Tengchong City, China.

 

I guess better to have it in a museum than giving it to some "mad scientists" doing weird genetic experiments. While "Jurassic Park" movies are fantasy, the issues related "reviving" prehistoric species, if somehow it could be possible, might have dramatic effects on ecology.

[dufus]

16 hours ago, luisam said:

sold to the Hupoge Amber Museum in Tengchong

they buy fake stuff not check it