Archaeopteryx in Germany (data photo)
Researchers at Fukui Prefectural University and other institutions in Japan said that in 20 13 years, related fossils were found in the strata of Fukui Prefecture about 65438+200 million years ago, and they were named "Fukui original wing". The researchers concluded that the bird was under 1 year old and had a wingspan of about 50 cm. They said that this is the oldest bird fossil in Japan, and it is also of great significance on a global scale.
Japan's "Fukui Primitive Wing"
186 1 year, archaeopteryx fossils living about10.5 billion years ago were found in Germany, which not only provided fossil evidence for birds to originate from reptiles, but also made them always be regarded as the ancestors of birds, as can be seen from their names.
Shortly after the discovery of Archaeopteryx, another well-preserved small skeleton was unearthed in the same quarry in Germany. It has no feather marks and short forelimbs, so it can't be used as wings in any case. Anatomically, it is obviously a small carnivorous dinosaur named Meijawlong. This adds new evidence to the debate on the genetic relationship between dinosaurs and birds. In the mid-1990s, the discovery of Confucius bird, a Mesozoic primitive bird fossil in western Liaoning, China, broke the German "monopoly" in this field.
Bird fossils found in Japan belong to Cretaceous. Some Cretaceous bird fossils have been found before, but the coccyx is missing, and the "Fukui Primitive Wing" fossil has a fully formed coccyx. The coccyx of birds is a triangular skeleton at the end of the spine, which is used to support the tail feathers and is an important feature of modern birds. The researchers said that supporting the view that coccyx may be a by-product of tail degradation will help to better understand the evolution of birds.
In addition, according to Yonhap News Agency news, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency on June 5438+09, the research team of the Geology Department of Kim Il Sung University recently discovered bird fossils 65438+300 million years ago in Baitudong, Xinyi City, North Pyongan Province. According to reports, the fossil was unearthed in the lower Cretaceous of Mesozoic, and the traces of skull, phalanx and pterygoid bone were clearly visible. The researchers judged that the bird could fly according to the shape and structure of its wings. Kim Jong-un, chairman of the DPRK Council of State, named the fossil "White Rabbit Bird" and instructed it to be placed in the Natural Museum in Chen Zhan. North Korea discovered bird fossils10.50 billion years ago in Sinuiju in 1989. Kim Il Sung, the then supreme leader, named it "the Archaeopteryx of Korea" and claimed that Korea was the birthplace of birds.
Profile picture: This is a bird fossil discovered in Sinuiju, North Korea in 1989. (Yonhap News Agency)
In fact, both Mesozoic bird fossils found in Japan and early bird fossils found in North Korea belong to the Jehol biota in a broad sense. Jehol biota belongs to Mesozoic era, so it is full of vitality and links the past with the future. They mainly live in northern China, Mongolia, Siberia, Kazakhstan, Korea and Japan, with western Liaoning as the representative, about/kloc-0.2 billion years ago in the Early Cretaceous. Western Liaoning is not only the distribution center of Jehol biota, but also its unique and complete continental Mesozoic strata are world-class, so it can preserve such a rare fossil treasure house in the world today. Its unique hairy dinosaurs and abundant primitive bird fossils make this area a holy place to study the origin of birds.
Distribution range of the Rehe biota Dabeigou Formation, Yixian Formation and Jiufotang Formation.