A new raptorial dinosaur with exceptionally long feathering provides insights into dromaeosaurid flight performance
A new raptorial dinosaur with exceptionally long feathering provides insights into dromaeosaurid flight performance
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一种具有超长羽毛的新型猛禽恐龙为驰龙科飞行性能提供了深入的了解
DOI：
10.1038/ncomms5382
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发表时间：
2014-07-01
影响因子：
16.6
通讯作者：
Han, Lizhuo
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Han, Gang;Chiappe, Luis M.;Han, Lizhuo
小龙目恐龙是一类具有空气动力能力的掠食性恐龙。这些鸟类的近亲对于检验解释鸟类飞行起源和早期进化的假说至关重要。本文描述了中国早白垩世热河生物群中发现的一种新的“四翅”小龙目--长尾龙。新化石的尾羽长近30厘米，约为骨架长度的30%，是已知的非鸟类恐龙中最长的羽毛。此外，它是最大的兽脚类动物，后肢(也就是后翼)上有长长的便士状羽毛。新化石的长长的羽毛尾巴为我们提供了对小盗龙的飞行性能的洞察，以及它们如何在更大的身体尺寸下保持飞行能力。我们演示了新化石的低长宽比尾巴如何作为俯仰控制结构，降低下降速度，从而在着陆过程中发挥关键作用。
Microraptorines are a group of predatory dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs with aerodynamic capacity. These close relatives of birds are essential for testing hypotheses explaining the origin and early evolution of avian flight. Here we describe a new 'four-winged' microraptorine, Changyuraptor yangi, from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of China. With tail feathers that are nearly 30 cm long, roughly 30% the length of the skeleton, the new fossil possesses the longest known feathers for any non-avian dinosaur. Furthermore, it is the largest theropod with long, pennaceous feathers attached to the lower hind limbs (that is, 'hindwings'). The lengthy feathered tail of the new fossil provides insight into the flight performance of microraptorines and how they may have maintained aerial competency at larger body sizes. We demonstrate how the low-aspect-ratio tail of the new fossil would have acted as a pitch control structure reducing descent speed and thus playing a key role in landing.