The remains of Anchiornis were discovered in the Liaoning province of China, where it was originally identified as a feathered dinosaur and taken as evidence supporting the evolution of reptiles into birds. Recent reanalyses of this fossil, however, have led to a reconsideration of this prevailing interpretation.
Laser technology reveals bird-like features
Scientists reconstructed a quantitative outline of the fossilized body of Anchiornis using high-resolution images of soft tissues revealed through laser-stimulated fluorescence. This shed new light on the soft parts of this creature, including its body and feathers.1
Anchiornis was the size of a chicken, with legs resembling like chicken legs, a tapered tail, and arms similar to the wings of modern-day birds.2 In the skin behind the front wings were small, regularly arranged indentations that researchers identified as feather follicles. In several specimens, ‘pebbly’1 skin scales were observed on the fingertips, which, according to Michael Pittman, co-author of the laser study, are identical to those found in modern chickens.2 The scales covered the lower parts of the legs and ankles, as is the case with today’s birds.1
Anchiornis also had a propatagium, a crucial fold of skin that extended between the arm and forearm, playing an essential role in flight. This structure enhanced the surface area of the wing and helped shape it for this purpose. The authors of the study suggested that the presence of the propatagium implies the animal was capable of extending its arm in a way similar to that of modern gliding birds, such as pelicans, cormorants, or albatrosses.1
Non-avian, dinosaurian features?
Not all features of Anchiornis align with modern birds. The most obvious ones are its long tail and wings on its hind legs. These are not, however, determining characteristics for classifying this creature as a dinosaur.
Why, then, did researchers classify Anchiornis as a dinosaur despite its many bird-like features?3 Is it possible that the widely accepted belief in the evolution of dinosaurs into birds has shaped the way these extinct creatures are labelled?
No fossils have been found that demonstrate the transition from dinosaurs to birds. Even if feathered dinosaurs did exist (and there is considerable disagreement among evolutionists about which species might qualify), they would not necessarily represent this evolutionary shift.
Anatomical evidence suggests that dinosaurs did not evolve into birds. The gradual, transitional changes in the skeleton and other bodily structures that would have been required for such a transformation would likely have resulted in a creature unable to move.4 As such, Anchiornis does not fit into the evolutionary category of a ‘dinosaur-bird’.
A unique bird
Was Anchiornis a four-winged bird with a long tail? Should all fossils be forced into categories that are based on existing species?
The leg structure of Anchiornis suggests it may have walked in a manner similar to modern-day chickens. Alan Feduccia, a paleontologist who specialises in the study of bird origins, proposes that this animal may have used its claws to climb trees.5 Its front and rear wings imply that it might have been capable of gliding, although this is not certain, as its feathers were symmetrical, unlike the asymmetrical feathers necessary for flight. It is worth noting that at least one modern-day bird, the flightless kakapo parrot, climbs trees and glides to the ground, using its wings for controlled descent.
After nearly a century of debate, scientists classified the platypus as a mammal, despite its unusual features. As such, should Anchiornis be classified as a bird?
If Anchiornis, with its four wings and tree-climbing abilities, is most appropriately placed in the bird category, it cannot be regarded as a feathered dinosaur and should not be used as evidence of evolutionary theory.
By the way, we recommend reading the articles:
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- The Problematic Evolution of the Whale
- The Problem of Evil: Where Was God?
Footnotes
- Wang, X. et al. 2017. ‘Basal paravian functional anatomy illuminated by high-detail body outline’, Nature Communications, 8, p. 14576.
- Lasers flesh out dino-bird profile. 2017. Phys.org, 28 February. Available at: https://phys.org.
- Several evolutionists remain open to the idea that Anchiornis was a bird. For example, see: Czerkas, S. A. and Feduccia, A. 2014. ‘Jurassic archosaur is a non-dinosaurian bird’, Journal of Ornithology, 155(4), pp. 841-851.
- Morris, J. and Sherwin, F. 2009. The Fossil Record. Dallas, TX: Institute for Creation Research, p. 77.
- Feduccia, A. 2012. Riddle of the Feathered Dragons: Hidden Birds of China. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, pp. 160-163.
Adapted from: B. Thomas, ‘Actual feathers on mystery fossil indicate ‘bird’’, Acts&Facts, Institute for Creation Research, May 2017, p. 15.
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