Birds evolved from theropod dinosaurs during the Late Jurassic period. The earliest evolution of the Avialae, a clade that includes all modern birds but excludes certain dinosaurs like Deinonychus and Troodon, has been a subject of intense study. The limited diversity of Jurassic fossils has hindered our understanding of avialan evolution. The Middle–Late Jurassic Yanliao Biota in northeast China and the German Solnhofen Limestones are the only known sources of definitive avialans from the Jurassic era. A significant 30-million-year gap exists before the oldest known record of Cretaceous birds. The Jurassic avialans play a pivotal role in understanding the evolutionary … Continue reading Discovering Fujianvenators: The 150-Million-Year-Old Jurassic Bird You’ve Never Heard Of!