Scientists from China newly discovered a genus and species fossil of the Cretaceous birds with dinosaur skulls and weird bodies in Jehol biota (135-120 million years ago), and named it "Cratonavis zhui."
The research exhibits a unique combination of a non-avialan dinosaurian akinetic skull with an avialan post-cranial skeleton, revealing the key role of evolutionary mosaicism in early bird diversification.
This research was jointly completed by researchers from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology. The research paper was published online in Nature Ecology %26 Evolution on Monday (Beijing Time).
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