The 150-million-year-old dinosaur is likely a very early bird ancestor, as old as the Archeopterix.
This suggests bird's long legs may have evolved much early than thought.
The dinosaur, named Fujianvenator prodigiosus, is thought to be as old the Archaeopteryx, which many consider to be the first bird.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"I would put my money on runner," Wang told Reuters.
There is still a 30 million-year-long gap in the fossil record between Archeopteryx and Fujianvenator and the next bird fossil on record, which appears in the Cretaceous, the study authors said in a press release.
Persons:
Fujianvenator, Min Wang, Wang, Rex, prodigiosus, WANG Min Still, WANG Min, Hailu, Mark Loewen
Organizations:
Service, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Reuters, Nature, University of Utah
Locations:
Wall, Silicon, Nanping, Fujian, Beijing, Salt Lake City