Ancient Bird Discovered by Chinese Scientists

It is truly amazing that so many landmark archeological and paleontological discoveries occur in China. Or is it? Is the dinosaur-bird linkage the root of the mythology of the Dragon? Will we in fact discover that dragons, so to speak, really existed? If so, the answer is in China. Many questions, few answers, constant fascination.

Ancient Bird Fossil May Suggest Link with Dinosaurs
Fri Oct 22, 2004 04:17 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Scientists in China have found a 120 million-year-old fossil of a baby bird which is believed to have died just before it hatched and which could shed light on the relationship between dinosaurs and birds.

The discovery of the bird, with a well-developed skull, large curved claws and feathers, could also give an insight into when complex behavior like caring for helpless young first began to evolve.

It could lend credence to the idea that birds of that era, like dinosaurs, were sufficiently developed at birth to function on their own immediately they hatched.

The discovery was described by Zhonghe Zhou and Fucheng Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Friday's issue of the journal Science.

More at Reuters Science Reports