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Biological Environment > Birds |
Earth Earlier Earlier 150 Million Years ago Later Earth After Animals Later |
This site tells the story of the history of the universe. Click Earlier and Later to follow the story. Note: Many facts have been simplified to make them easier to understand. |
 Figure 1 |
The closest living relatives to the dinosaurs are the birds. The first known bird, Archaeopteryx, appeared about 150 million years ago. Within a few million years they evolved into the birds called Enantiornithes or 'opposite birds' because of the way their feet bones grew. These lasted for around 70 million years before becoming extinct and being replaced by Ornithurae, the group which includes modern birds, which is believed to have appeared around 65 million years ago, at the same time that the dinosaurs became extinct.
The animal shown here is a newly discovered Chinese dinosaur Caudipteryx Zoui. It lived in the Cretaceous period 120 million years ago. This theropod dinosaur was a speedy, two-legged meat-eater which was no larger than a peacock. What makes it so remarkable are the primitive feathers covering its body. Its short forelimbs could be described as either feathered arms or clawed wings. Although unable to fly, Caudipteryx Zoui seems to lie on an evolutionary track leading directly from dinosaurs to birds. |
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Earth Earlier Earlier 150 Million Years ago Later Earth After Animals Later |
Biological Environment > Birds |
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Basic Information |
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