A feathered dinosaur with four "wings" has been found in China
A new species of feathered dinosaur - a relative of Velociraptor - has been found in China. It was a small predator, but looked unusual: scientists believe that it may have had long feathers not only on its front legs, but also on its hind legs. This is why it is described as a dinosaur with four "wings".
The new species has been named Jian changmaensis. It was found in the Changma Basin in north-west China, a place where many fossils of ancient birds have already been discovered. The find is about 120 million years old.
Scientists are cautiously speculating that this dinosaur could have been a predator that preyed on early birds. This is not a proven hunt, but a hypothesis: many bird bones were found near its remains, some of which were shattered and collected in clumps, similar to the droppings of modern owls.
Details
Jian changmaensis belongs to the Microraptors. It is a group of small feathered dinosaurs in the dromaeosaurid family - which also includes the famous velociraptors. Only the real velociraptors were smaller and much more feathered than they are usually shown in films.
From the new dinosaur preserved not the entire body, but mainly the bones of the forelimb. So scientists are reconstructing its appearance from these bones and compared to other microraptors. His relatives had long feathers on their arms and legs, so the researchers assume that Jian could also have four "wings".
But "wings" here needs to be understood carefully. It most likely did not fly like a modern bird. Scientists believe that such dinosaurs could plan - like a flying squirrel: jump from a height and glide through the air, using feathers on the limbs.
In terms of size, Jian was quite large for a microraptor. A preserved piece of humerus is about 10 cm long, and the total span of its "wings" may have reached about 1.2 metres - about the size of a siskin.
The location of the find is particularly interesting. Scientists have found more than a hundred fossils of early birds in the Chanma Basin. But there were almost no non-bird dinosaurs. Jian was the first such predatory dinosaur from the area, so it fits well as a possible hunter that could have attacked ancient birds.
Why it's important
This find helps us better understand a time when birds were still living alongside their dinosaur relatives. Modern birds are descendants of dinosaurs, but 120 million years ago, other feathered dinosaurs existed alongside early birds.
Jian shows that the boundary between "bird" and "non-bird dinosaur" was not so simple. Some dinosaurs were already covered in feathers, could plan and looked very bird-like, but were still not birds in the modern sense.
The find also helps explain the strange clusters of shattered bird bones at Chanma. Perhaps there really was a predator living nearby that hunted early birds or ate their remains. But for now, it's a theory, not definitive proof.
Background
Microraptors have long interested palaeontologists because they show one possible pathway to flight. Some members of this group had long feathers on their four limbs. This made them look like they had two pairs of wings.
These dinosaurs are important for understanding the evolution of birds. They show that feathers may not have first served only for active flight. They may have helped with planning, balance, keeping warm, attracting mates or looking bigger in front of enemies.
The name Jian refers to a winged creature from Chinese mythology, and changmaensis indicates the find site is the Changma Basin in Gansu Province.
Source
Study: "First non-avian theropod (Dromaeosauridae, Microraptorinae) from the bird-bearing Lower Cretaceous Xiagou Formation of the Changma Basin, Gansu Province, northwestern China", Annals of Carnegie Museum, 2026.