Source: China Daily

07-23-2007 17:05

A computer-generated picture that restores the image of Gigantoraptor erlianensis, a new species of bird-like dinosaur living about 85 million years ago. Illustration by Zhao Chuang and Xing Lida.

It had a small head, a beak, slim hind legs, a massive body, the size of a Tyrannosaurus, and was covered with feathers. This is the new species of dinosaur that lived on the plains of North China 85 million years ago. It looked more like a bird, but it could not fly. But it could run like the wind.

The fossil specimens of Gigantoraptor erlianensis, which were unearthed in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region two years ago, are adding a new piece to the evolution puzzle of birds, according to Chinese paleontologists who reported their groundbreaking discovery in Nature magazine today.

"It is unique because the dinosaur has a bird's features, but a much larger body than other known bird-like dinosaur species living earlier or later than it," said Xu Xing, a leading paleontologist at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleonanthropology, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Xu and his fellow researchers at the Longhao Institute of Geology and Paleontology in Inner Mongolia conducted the research.

The discovery of Gigantoraptor is a vital clue to better understanding how dinosaurs evolved into birds, according to Xu, a famous dinosaur fossil hunter.

Fossil specimens suggest the giant beast was 8 meters long, 5 meters high, and weighed about 1.4 tons.

"We thought it could be a type of Tyrannosaurus, which is known for its huge size," recalled Xu.

But further comparative research revealed that Gigantoraptor actually belonged to Oviraptorosauria, a type of dinosaur living in the Late Cretaceous (about 65.5 to 99 million years ago). Featuring a beak-like mouth and sharp claws, Oviraptorosauria was a close relative of the bird family.