Discover the world's largest winged dinosaur fossil

New researchers discovered the world's largest winged dinosaur fossil in China. According to the conjecture their wings are not used to fly but can be used to attract mates or incubate eggs.

The world's largest winged dinosaur fossil in China

Recently, scientists have discovered the largest winged dinosaur fossil among known species in China. Its whole body and limbs are covered with silky hairs. According to the study they lived 125 million years ago and was named Zhenyuanlong suni ("long" means dragon in Mandarin Chinese).

For the past 20 years, scientists have been searching for thousands of feathered dinosaur fossils in Liaoning Province, northeastern China. One of the most important discoveries here is that the dinosaur dromaeosaurs including Velociraptor appear in the famous Jurassic Park and Microraptor, one of the very few dinosaurs that scientists think can fly. .

This dinosaur fossil remains almost complete

However, this newly discovered winged dinosaur raises a big question about the function of their wings and feathers when they are actually not used to fly. According to the study, the dinosaur is 1.65 m long, a little longer than a modern musk but it is estimated to weigh only 20kg, 20 times more than a bird.

With that mass and very short wings compared to most other dromaeosaurs, they certainly cannot fly. Unlike other feathered dinosaurs, Zhenyuanlong represents a complex and full set of feathers that are typical of today's birds.

This dinosaur cannot fly and uses wings to perform other functions

So what are they used for? There are many possibilities, their wings and feathers perform other functions such as attracting partners or hatching eggs. On the other hand, scientists also say that their wings can be used to jump down from a ledge or to run up a steep slope. This is speculated from the way of flying birds today.

This finding is particularly important because it helps to better understand the evolution of winged dinosaurs. Researchers said the Zhenyuanlong species could evolve from flying dinosaurs. Similar to the way birds do not fly like birds, penguins evolved from their flying ancestors.