A research paper suggests that dinosaurs may have evolved wings and feathers earlier than previously thought. In a detailed study of the Edmonton Ornithomimus fossils, scientists discovered wing-like forelimbs and hundreds of filamentous traces, indicating that they possessed feathers. Recent research on dinosaurs has made new progress!
1. Bird-like dragon
Edmonton resembles a bird dragon
The fossil record of the ornithomimid dinosaur group predates Maniraptor by millions of years. This discovery suggests that wings and feathers appeared earlier than previously thought. However, O. edmontonicus was not a flying dinosaur. Researchers estimate that it weighed around 150 kilograms, and its wings may have served other functions, such as courtship or incubating young.
2. African Pachygnathus
One of the most advanced herbivorous dinosaurs ever discovered
The African Pachygnathus, with its short, parrot-like beak and long, self-sharpening scissors, is one of the most advanced herbivorous dinosaurs discovered to date. Smaller than a domestic cat, it may have been covered in bristles similar to those of a porcupine, possibly using its sharp teeth for self-defense and to fight rivals during courtship.
3. Oswald's High-topped Dragon
Possibly the oldest crested dinosaur in the world
Acrotholus audeti, the oldest known crested dinosaur discovered in North America, may also be the oldest known crested dinosaur in the world. Scientists confirmed the existence of this dinosaur based on two skull fragments discovered in southern Alberta, Canada. The skull fragments of Acrotholus audeti are 10 centimeters thick. Scientists described this new species in this week's issue of *Nature Communications*. They noted that this discovery suggests the possibility of discovering more small herbivorous dinosaur populations in the future.
4. Oviraptor
Wagging its tail to court
Dinosaurs also used tail wagging to court. Scientists reached this conclusion after studying small, flightless dinosaurs, modern birds, and reptiles. Oviraptorosaurs had strong, flexible tails covered in colorful feathers, which they used to flaunt. "Such a tail was perfect for showing off their feathers," said Scott Pisens, one of the paper's authors.
5. Nyasalong
Not the oldest dinosaur
Although Nyasaur is not the oldest known dinosaur, based on fossils of an upper arm bone and six vertebrae discovered in Tanzania in the 1930s, scientists believe that Nyasaur was about the size of a Labrador Retriever, but with a longer tail. Nyasaur lived in the southern part of Pangaea approximately 243 million years ago, predating all other known dinosaurs by at least 10 million years.
6. Hunter Ghost Dragon
Not a dinosaur in the true sense of the word.
Pterosaur Hunter-Ghost Dragon was a carnivorous pterosaur that lived 120 million years ago, with a wingspan reaching 3 meters. Scientists in China discovered the skull fossil of this awe-inspiring flying animal. In a 2012 paper published in *Nature*, they noted that the end of Hunter-Ghost Dragon's beak had a complex arrangement of teeth, possibly used for fishing. It should be noted that pterosaurs are not dinosaurs in the true sense. However, due to its unique characteristics, the editors of *Wired* magazine included it in their list of the top ten recent discoveries.
7. Spinosaurus
Spiny-faced dragon of Strychnoidea
The Spinosaurus skeletalus weighed around 2 tons. Its fossils were discovered in 1916 by a father-son fossil collector and remained in the Natural History Museum in London for decades, largely ignored. Eventually, paleontologists recognized the fossils' value, cleaned them, and began studying them. In a research paper published in 2012, they officially named this horned dinosaur.
8. Squirrel-like dragon
A. squirrel-like dragon
Sciurimimus albersdoerferi, a feathered dinosaur, belongs to an ancient branch of the dinosaur family tree. This discovery suggests that feathers may have been more prevalent in the dinosaur family than most scientists had anticipated.
