博物館級の標本 - 動物化石 - Anchiornis huxleyi - 60 cm - 40 cm

Scientific Name: Anchiornis huxleyi
Period: Late Jurassic, approximately 160 million years ago
Location: Liaoning Province, China (Tiaojishan Formation, Yanliao Biota)

Description:
This is a beautifully preserved fossil specimen of Anchiornis huxleyi, one of the earliest known feathered dinosaurs discovered from the Late Jurassic deposits of Liaoning, China. Anchiornis was a small paravian dinosaur closely related to the lineage leading to modern birds, providing important evidence for the evolutionary transition from non-avian dinosaurs to birds.

The specimen preserves delicate skeletal details, including the skull, forelimbs, hind limbs, and impressions of extensive feather coverings. Anchiornis possessed feathered wings on both its arms and legs, showing a primitive stage of flight evolution. Its body was covered with well-developed feathers, and studies have revealed that it may have had complex feather patterns.

As a key fossil from the Yanliao Biota, Anchiornis plays an important role in understanding the origin of avian flight and the evolution of feathered dinosaurs.