China sheds light – The newly identified species belonged to a group of small feathered dinosaurs known as dromaeosaurs, which are close relatives of the famous Velociraptor. (AI-generated image for representation: ChatGPT) When people hear the word ‘dinosaur’, they often imagine a huge animal that walked on two or four legs.

However, a new dinosaur fossil discovered in ancient China is once again changing the way scientists think about prehistoric creatures. Researchers have identified a new relative of Velociraptor whose feathers appear to have not two, but four feather-like structures. The discovery is providing new clues about one of evolution’s biggest mysteries: how flight evolved in the ancestors of modern birds.

The discovery The newly identified species belonged to a group of small feathered dinosaurs known as dromaeosaurs, which were close relatives of the famous Velociraptor.