For an extended period, an enigmatic predator exerted its influence over the paleontological repositories of the Changma Basin, situated in China’s northwestern region.
This locale is distinguished by an extraordinary collection of fossilized avian species, including some of the most ancient examples documented from the evolutionary lineage that ultimately gave rise to contemporary birds.
However, these ancient avian remains were frequently discovered in fragmented states, frequently within conglomerates that bore a striking resemblance to the regurgitated pellets characteristic of modern raptorial birds, such as falcons and owls.
It was evident that some entity was preying upon these nascent bird species.
Current scientific consensus among paleontologists suggests that the identity of this perpetrator has now been established: a novel genus and species of predatory dinosaur.
“Researchers have unearthed these peculiar conglomerations of fractured avian bones at this excavation site, and their origin remained a puzzle. This recently identified microraptor dinosaur, Jian changmaensis, presents our most plausible explanation,” states Jingmai O’Connor, a paleontologist affiliated with the Field Museum in Chicago and the lead investigator for the scientific paper detailing this new species.
“It represents the sole non-avian dinosaur discovered at this locale—a carnivore that significantly surpassed other fauna found there in size.”
While not an avian species itself, its feathered integument and wing-like appendages certainly lent it an avian appearance.
Nevertheless, significant distinctions were present: it possessed a reptilian muzzle instead of a beak, an elongated caudal appendage, and, regrettably for the local avifauna, ensiform talons on its pedal digits.
If these offensive appendages seem familiar, it is likely due to their depiction in popular culture for over three decades, wielded by some of Jian‘s phylogenetic relatives. However, Jian was notably diminutive compared to Velociraptor, even when accounting for cinematic exaggeration.
This newly identified species belongs to a distinct taxonomic group known as microraptors, and among its closest kin, Jian stood out as a formidable entity.
“Jian represents one of the most substantial microraptor specimens ever unearthed,” O’Connor elaborates.
“The fragment of its humerus that has been recovered measures approximately 4 inches (10 centimeters) in length, suggesting that the complete dinosaur likely possessed a wingspan around four feet (1.2 meters), comparable to that of a barn owl.”
Indeed, this specific segment of the humerus is the sole component of Jian presently known, a fact reflected in its nomenclature.
The genus designation is derived from Jiān, a mythical one-winged bird from Chinese folklore. The specific epithet, changmaensis, honors the Changma region in China, the provenance of its fossilized remains.
Notwithstanding the fragmentary nature of the fossil, its discoverers leveraged their knowledge of closely related microraptor species to extrapolate further characteristics of Jian.
It is hypothesized that this creature sported extensive plumage not only on its forelimbs but also along its hind limbs, effectively endowing it with four “wings.”
“It is probable that Jian and its microraptor relatives lacked the capacity for true, powered aerial locomotion. However, they were likely capable of gliding, analogous to arboreal rodents,” explains O’Connor.
This gliding ability, it appears, was sufficient for ambushing avian species that possessed true flight. The preponderance of avian fossils discovered at the site suggests that Jian had an abundant food supply.
“Our research team has exhumed upwards of a hundred avian fossils from Changma, yet only this solitary non-avian dinosaur specimen has been recovered,” notes Matt Lamanna, a paleontologist at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.
The findings of this investigation have been formally documented and published in the esteemed Annals of Carnegie Museum.
