Cruralispennia

Igama lithetha: “leg feather”1

Yayitya: InyamaIintaka zokuqalaiCretaceous yokuqala

Cruralispennia was a tiny, feathered bird that lived about 131 million years ago in what is now China. It had strange, wiry feathers on its legs that no other bird had before or since!1

Yaphila

133 ukuya ku-126 izigidi zeminyaka eyadlulayo4

iCretaceous yokuqala

Iifosili zifunyenwe:

Sichakou Basin, Fengning County, Hebei Province, northeastern China1

Esona santya siphezulu

malunga ne-27 km/h (17 mph)

Ukubhabha, uqikelelo

Yaphila nini?

iTriassic

iJurassic

iCretaceous

Izigidi ezingama-252 zeminyaka eyadlulayo20114566, i-asteroyidi

Yayikhawuleza kangakanani?

Umntu ohambayo malunga ne-5 km/h (3 mph)

Umntwana ekhwele ibhayisikile malunga ne-12 km/h (7 mph)

Cruralispennia malunga ne-27 km/h (17 mph)

Ihashe elibaleka ngamandla malunga ne-65 km/h (40 mph)

Ingwenkala malunga ne-100 km/h (62 mph)

izinto ezimnandi

Iinyani ezimnandi

Cruralispennia had a plough-shaped pygostyle, a fused tail bone that was thought to only exist in more advanced birds. This shows that different bird groups evolved similar features separately.1

Its leg feathers were unlike any seen before: the base was like a stiff wire, and the tip was fluffy and split into many tiny strands.1

Even though Cruralispennia lived very early in bird history, its shoulder bone (coracoid) was already very slender, a shape usually found in later Cretaceous birds.1

The name Cruralispennia means 'leg feather' in Latin, because of the unusual feathers on its shin bone (tibiotarsus).1

This bird had 14 teeth in its lower jaw, which is why its full species name is multidonta, meaning 'many teeth'.1

Cruralispennia lived alongside other early birds like Protopteryx and Eoconfuciusornis in the same ancient lake environment.1

Umfanekiso owenziwe yi-AI: Cruralispennia — Umfanekiso owenziwe yi-AI obonisa indlela Cruralispennia esenokuba wayekhangeleka ngayo, wenziwe yikhompyutha ngokwento eyaziwa zizazinzulu. Kukuqikelela nje: esona silwanyana sinokuba sasikhangeleka ngenye indlela, kwaye akukho mntu waziyo imibala yaso yokwenyani.

ubuzile

Eyona mibuzo ibuzwa kakhulu: Cruralispennia

?How big was Cruralispennia?

Cruralispennia was a tiny bird, about the size of a modern sparrow. Its leg feathers were only 12 to 16 mm long.2 3

?Where did Cruralispennia live?

It lived in what is now China, around a lake in the Sichakou Basin about 131 million years ago.2

?What did Cruralispennia eat?

Scientists think Cruralispennia likely ate insects or small prey, because it had sharp, curved claws and many teeth in its lower jaw.2 3

Kwiingcali zeedayinaso

Igama lenzululwazi: Cruralispennia
Inikwe igama ngu:: Wang et al. 20174
Iqela: Iintaka zokuqala
Usapho / iclade: Enantiornithes4
Ukuhlelwa: Theropoda > Avialae4
Ubudala bamatye: 133 ukuya ku-126 izigidi zeminyaka (Hauterivian)4
Izakhiwo zamatye: Huajiying4
Amazwe: iTshayina4
Iirekhodi zeefosili: 1 kwi-Paleobiology Database4
Ukufunyanwa: Cruralispennia was named in 2017 by Min Wang and colleagues from a nearly complete skeleton found in the Huajiying Formation of China.4 1
Kusaxoxwa ngayo: Scientists are not sure what the strange leg feathers were used for. They might have helped with display, insulation, or even sensing the environment.1

Apho iinyani zivela khona

npg.nature.com (npg.nature.com)
Cruralispennia (en.wikipedia.org)
A bizarre Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird with unique crural feathers and an ornithuromorph plough-shaped pygostyle | Nature Communications (nature.com)
Cruralispennia in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): ubudala, iindawo, izakhiwo zamatye, ukuhlelwa.

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