恐龙化石有疑问 古生物学家思索羽毛进化过程

Paleontologists Ponder Feather Evolution

摘要： A beautifully preserved fossil from southern Germany raises questions about how feathers evolved from dinosaurs to birds, two paleontologists argue in a study published Thursday.从体形庞大的恐龙到身材娇小的鸟类，动物的羽毛是如何进化的？在德国南部发现的一具保存完好的恐龙化石日前引起了古生物学家们对动物羽毛进化过程的思考。

A beautifully preserved fossil from southern Germany raises questions about how feathers evolved from dinosaurs to birds, two paleontologists argue in a study published Thursday.

The 150 million-year-old fossil is a juvenile carnivorous dinosaur about 2 1/2 feet long that scientists named Juravenator, for the Jura mountains where it was found.

It would have looked similar in life to the fleet-footed predators that menaced a young girl on the beach during the opening scene of "The Lost World," the second Jurassic Park movie.

The fossil#39;s exceptionally well-preserved bone structure clearly puts it among feathered kin on the dinosaur family