恐龍卡第 2014 張，共 2 027 張

Zhongjianornis

名字的意思： “Zhongjian's bird, named after the founder of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Yang Zhongjian”1

吃：肉早期鳥類白堊紀早期

Zhongjianornis was a pigeon-sized bird that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous, about 120 million years ago. It had a toothless beak and strong wing muscles, making it a good flier. This little bird helps scientists understand how early birds evolved and lost their teeth.1 2

生存年代

121 到 113 百萬年前4

白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Jianchang, Liaoning Province, China (Jiufotang Formation)1 3

長度

0.2 到 0.3 m (0.7 到 1 ft)1 3

體重

0.3 kg 到 0.5 kg (1 到 1 lb)1

高度

0.14 m (0.5 ft)

估計值

最高速度

時速約 28 公里（17 英里）

飛行, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多高？

估計值

牠有多重？

跟 4 根香蕉一樣重

比一隻家貓還輕跟 4 根香蕉一樣重跟 9 塊積木排成一排一樣長小到能從椅子底下走過去能在 14 秒內飛越一整座足球場

Zhongjianornis 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Zhongjianornis 時速約 28 公里 (17 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Zhongjianornis is one of the most primitive birds known to have completely lost its teeth, developing a beak instead.2

Its humerus had a large, robust deltopectoral crest, which was as wide as the bone shaft and more than one-third the total length of the humerus, indicating strong flight muscles.3

The only known fossil of Zhongjianornis is a nearly complete skeleton with some poorly preserved feather imprints.3

Zhongjianornis lived during the Aptian age of the Early Cretaceous, about 121 to 113 million years ago.3

Scientists initially thought Zhongjianornis was very primitive, but later research in 2012 suggested it was more similar to advanced euornithean birds like Chaoyangia.1

The species name yangi honors Yang Zhongjian, the founder of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing.1

Zhongjianornis 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Zhongjianornis 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

你們都在問

關於 Zhongjianornis 最常被問的問題

?How big was Zhongjianornis?

About the size of a pigeon. It was a small bird.1

?Did Zhongjianornis have teeth?

No, it had a toothless beak. It is one of the most primitive birds known to have completely lost its teeth.1 2

?What did Zhongjianornis eat?

Scientists are not sure, but its toothless beak suggests it may have eaten seeds or small insects.1

迷思破解王

迷思： Zhongjianornis was the most primitive toothless bird.

真相： While initially thought to be very primitive, later analysis in 2012 showed that Zhongjianornis is more closely related to advanced euornithean birds, not the most primitive.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Zhongjianornis
命名者: Zhou et al. 20104
類群: 早期鳥類
科 / 演化支: Ornithuromorpha4
分類: Theropoda > Avialae4
岩石的年代: 121 到 113 百萬年 (Aptian)4
岩層: Jiufotang4
國家: 中國4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆4
發現: Zhongjianornis was named and described by Zhou, Zhang, and Li in a paper published in January 2010 (though it appeared online in 2009). The only fossil, a nearly complete skeleton, was found at Jianchang in Liaoning Province, China.1 2
仍有爭議: Scientists still debate whether Zhongjianornis was a very primitive bird or a more advanced euornithean, due to conflicting interpretations of its fossil's anatomy.1