The predatory dinosaur has four wings

US scientists have announced the discovery of a four-winged small feathered dinosaur that helps it to optimize aerial navigation, UPI said on November 6.

The newly discovered dinosaur is about the size of a crow, called dromaeosaur , is a carnivorous dinosaur, hunting in Chinese forests 130 million years ago.

Initially, paleontologists did not understand why such small dinosaurs with the body made to run on the ground were equipped to four wings and had long tail feathers.

Four-wing dromaeosaur dinosaur - (Photo: University of Southern California)

After the study, anatomists suggested that such a conformational structure would allow it to become a "master" of controlling aerial flight. The rear wings of dromaeosaur make it easy to change direction with extremely high speed.

"In the aerodynamic range, the rear wings will help it increase the navigation speed by 33 to 50%, compared to using only the front wings , " said scientist Michael Habib of the University of Southern California.

According to scientists, any improvement in navigation speed is considered a great advantage in the carnivorous world of flying dinosaurs.

"This is an animal the size of a crow, living among other predatory dinosaurs that at the same time had the largest flying dinosaur with wingspan of up to 4.5 meters. a 33% increase in the rate of redirection means making a difference between life and death, " said Justin Hall, Los Angeles Museum of Natural History.

New findings by Michael Habib and Justin Hall are presented at the annual meeting of the Vertebrate Paleontology Society in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA.