Pedopenna
Pedopenna | |
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Reconstruction as an anchiornithid | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | Saurischia |
Clade: | Theropoda |
Clade: | Paraves |
Family: | †Anchiornithidae |
Genus: | †Pedopenna Xu & Zhang, 2005 |
Species: | †P. daohugouensis
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Binomial name | |
†Pedopenna daohugouensis Xu & Zhang, 2005
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Pedopenna (meaning "foot feather") is a
The name Pedopenna refers to the long
Description
The feet of Pedopenna resembled those of the related
Feathers
The bird-like characteristics of Pedopenna are further evidence of the dinosaur-bird evolutionary relationship. Apart from having a very bird-like skeletal structure in its legs, Pedopenna was remarkable due to the presence of long
Xu and Zhang, in their 2005 description of Pedopenna, suggested that the feathers could be ornamental, or even vestigial. It is possible that a hind wing was present in the ancestors of deinonychosaurs and birds, and later lost in the bird lineage, with Pedopenna representing an intermediate stage where the hind wings are being reduced from a functional gliding apparatus to a display or insulatory function.[2] this theory may be confirmed by the discovery of Serikornis in 2017, an anchiornithid with soft, symmetrical feathers and filaments on parts of the body that were similar to Pedopenna's.
References
- S2CID 96442710.
- ^ S2CID 789908.
- PMID 20169153.
- PMID 31333906.
- ISBN 978-3-030-27223-4, retrieved 2023-07-12