Putting together a juvenile Sapeornis with fantastic feathers!

Two specimens attributed to Sapeornis, that nest together in the LRT. IVPPP V13276 is larger and more robust. DNHM-F3078 has a juvenile bone texture. Gao et al 2012 considered these two conspecific.

Two specimens attributed to Sapeornis, that nest together in the LRT. IVPPP V13276 is larger and more robust. DNHM-F3078 has a juvenile bone texture. Gao et al 2012 considered these two conspecific.

Sapeornis chaoyangensis (Zhou and Zhang 2002. 2003; Early Cretaceous; IVPP V13276) is a basal ornithurine bird, the clade that gave rise to modern birds. The short tail was tiped with a pygostyle. The coracoids were wide and relatively short. Manual digit 3 is a vestige. The claws on the remaining digits are all raptorial.

Another specimen, 
DNHM-F3078
 (Gao et al. 2012 (Figs 1, 2)  was smaller, considered a juvenile based on bone texture. It lived 3-5 million years earlier and had a pubic boot. It nests with the IVPP specimen in the LRT.

Figure 2. The DNHM specimen is wonderfully preserved. Note the incredible feathers! Here a little Photoshop digitally segregates the bones from each other and the matrix, then reassembles then in a lifelike pose.

Figure 2. The DNHM specimen is wonderfully preserved. Note the incredible feathers! Here a little Photoshop digitally segregates the bones from each other and the matrix, then reassembles then in a lifelike pose.

As a reminder…
None of these sapeornithid birds had an ossified sternum.

References
Gao C, Chiappe LM, Zhang F, Pomeroy DL, Shen C, Chinsamy A and Walsh MO 2012. A subadult specimen of the Early Cretaceous bird Sapeornis chaoyangensis and a taxonomic reassessment of sapeornithids. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 32(5): 1103–1112.
Zhou Z and Zhang F-C 2003. 
Anatomy of the primitive bird Sapeornis chaoyangensis from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning, China. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 40(5): 731–747.

wiki/Sapeornis

 

 

1 thought on “Putting together a juvenile Sapeornis with fantastic feathers!

  1. the clade that gave rise to modern birds

    A clade that contains all modern birds (regardless of which definition of the name Ornithurae you’re using – under only one of them is Sapeornis a member of Ornithurae).

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