Found fossils of prehistoric 127 million year old small birds

A scientist has discovered a small prehistoric fossil dating from the Mesozoic era (250-65 million years ago) that helped them learn more about the first small birds that appeared in the dinosaur era.

According to researchers at the University of Manchester in England, this fossil is a bird belonging to a group of prehistoric species called Enantiornithes.

Measuring less than 5 cm in size - smaller than the tiny finger on an adult's hand, this may be one of the smallest Mesozoic fossils ever discovered. It consists of a nearly complete skeleton and weighs only three ounces when it is alive in the past.

Found fossils of prehistoric 127 million year old small birds Picture 1

What makes this fossil important and unique? The researchers say this is an important stage in bird bone formation. That means the extremely short life of this small bird in the past has given researchers a rare opportunity to analyze the bone structure and development of this bird.

Fabien Knoll of the University of Manchester said: "The diversification of bird evolution can lead to important studies in hatching behavior as well as differences in growth rates among birds. By analyzing bone growth, we can look at a variety of evolutionary characteristics. "

With this small bird fossil, the team used synchrotron radiation to capture images of small specimens, observing the structure of the bone in the best detail. The researchers found that the baby's sternum is still made from cartilage and has not yet grown from a strong skeleton, which is quite hard, less flexible, so it may not fly in the past.

"The new discovery allows us to take a closer look at the world of ancient birds that lived in the dinosaur age," said Luis Chiappe from Los Angeles Natural History Museum in the US. "It's amazing how many traits and behaviors we can see in birds growing over 100 million years ago."