中国首次发现有羽毛恐龙——振元

choi

BBC Chinese, July 16, 2015
www.bbc.com/zhongwen/simp/china/2015/07/150716_china_dinosaur
("振元龙。被完整保留在火山岩中的这具恐龙化石显示振元龙约2米长。科学家认为，这具1.25亿年前留下的恐龙化石显示，很多其他恐龙，包括迅猛龙，都可能是 '体型大、毛茸茸的像鹰或鹫似的捕食动物。'  研究人员表示尚不清楚振元龙长满羽毛的翅膀是否具有飞行能力。中国地质科学院地质研究所吕君昌研究员与英国爱丁堡大学史蒂芬·布鲁塞特博士的论文近日发表在《科学报告》杂志上")

Note:
(a) So far, BBC (English) has not published a report on this usbject.
(b) the paper:

Junchang Lü and Stephen L Brusatte, A large, Short-Armed, Winged Dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of China and Its Implications for Feather Evolution. Scientific Reports (a Nature publication), July 16, 2015
http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/ ... full/srep11775.html
(Zhenyuanlong suni; "Whether these wings served any type of aerodynamic function is a separate question that can only be answered with biomechanical analysis, but the wings of Zhenyuanlong are strikingly similar to those of Microraptor in general size, morphology, and composition, albeit they are supported by much smaller arms")
(c) The title of the BBC Chinese report is obviously wrong. Microraptor was also feathered--and capable of flight. See Microraptor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microraptor
(a genus)

(d) Brian Switek, Paleo Profile: Zhenyuanlong suni. In Laelaps. National Geographic, July 16, 2015
http://phenomena.nationalgeograp ... -zhenyuanlong-suni/
(name meaning)
(i) Laelaps (n): "(Paleon.) A genus of huge, carnivorous, dinosaurian reptiles from the Cretaceous formation of the United States. They had very large hind legs and tail, and are supposed to have been bipedal. Some of the species were about eighteen feet high"
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, published 1913 by C & G Merriam Co
www.thefreedictionary.com/Laelaps
(ii) Velociraptor
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Velociraptor

(e) In binomial nomenclature, genus and species names are italicized.