Dinosaur Fossil Shows Signs of Early Flight Mechanism- All Images

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News Release 07-115

Dinosaur Fossil Shows Signs of Early Flight Mechanism

"Miniaturization" is hallmark of bird origins

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This reconstructed dinosaur from the Gobi Desert shows early characteristics of bird flight.

A dinosaur fossil unearthed in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia shows that miniaturization, a hallmark of bird origins and a necessary precursor of flight, occurred progressively in primitive dinosaurs.

Credit: F. Ippolito, American Museum of Natural History

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