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Eosinopteryx brevipenna

Eosinopteryx brevipenna
Man, I love it when new Dinosaurs get discovered, and this recent one is really, really cool.

First officially described just this past week, Eosinopteryx brevipenna is a creature from the Late Jurassic that lived around 160 and 145 million years ago. It is known from a single skeleton found in China and had a short snout and a short tail. E. brevipenna is interesting because it was very small-- only about 12in long. It also had a body covered in feathers! The species did have wings, but it is very unlikely that it actually flew, based upon the location of the wing bones.

E. brevipenna, along with other feathered Dinosaurs that have been uncovered, are helping scientists to piece together the origin of the flying birds. When Archaeopteryx was first unearthed in 1860, the lineage seemed much more straightforward. The discovery of so many new species is showing a much more complex picture, with multiple lineages contributing to the birds we know today.
Status : Extinct 145 million years
Location : China
Size : Length around 12in (30cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Clade : Dinosauria -- Order : Saurischia
Family : †Troodontidae -- Genus : †Eosinopteryx -- Species : E. brevipenna
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