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This is pretty much what I have felt all my life.
Hopefully by the end of my existence, I hope to experience more than what I have been subjected to and feel a thing called joy.
Hopefully by the end of my existence, I hope to experience more than what I have been subjected to and feel a thing called joy.
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The Four-Winged Dinosaur
The theory that dinosaurs were the direct ancestors to birds has become more widely accepted in the recent years due to the abundance of dinosaurs with evidence of hosting feathers. And Microraptor, specifically, has aided in pushing science further into the golden age of paleontology.
Like its name suggests Microraptor was a small dinosaur and in fact it was amongst the smallest non avian dinosaurs. In addition to this Microraptor was one of the first dinosaurs uncovered with feather impressions. And indeed it was. This animal was coated in thick feathers throughout with long, pennaceous feathers on the arms and hands while the legs also sprouted long feathers forming hindwings. The tail, too, had a diamond-shaped fan of feathers.
Interestingly enough, in March of 2012, Quangua Li et al. determined the coloration of specimen BMNHC PH881. By performing deep analyzation of fossilized melanosomes in the specimen by using a scanning election microscope (SEM) the researchers compared their results to modern birds. Concluding that Microraptor's feathers demonstrated a blue-black iridescent coloration -- much like a present day crow.
Flight:
When it comes around to the subject of flight for Microraptor, well, the story gets much more complicated.
Microraptor was thought to have been an arboral dwelling creature that used its unique quadruple wings for some sort of locomotion and perhaps...an early precursor to powered flight to be seen in birds.
At a time some paleontologists have brought attention to the possibility of Microraptor using its long feathers to parachute from the tree canopies to capture prey on the forest floor. In 2007, this hypothesis was put to the test and revealed that the combined surface area of the four wings and tail would have simply been too narrow for Microraptor to parachute from the trees without inflicting injury.
Others have argued to support the plausibility that Microraptor was a powered flier. The fused sternum, asymmetrical feathers, and shoulder girdle features indicate the potential for powered flight. Although some studies suggest that the shoulder joint was too primitive to allow a full flapping stroke. And when it comes to the evolutionary history of theropods as a whole the shoulder socket faced downwards and back -- thus making it impossible to completely raise the arms. As for the maniraptoran anatomy it too shows that the shoulder socket did not shift upwards until more advanced avians appeared. Yet, paleontologists argue that Microraptor was a special acception to this. Afterall, if Microraptor could raise its arms sufficiently enough then the combined presence of a propatagium and an alula then it could be plausible that this dinosaur was a candidate for powered flight.
Even without a full vertical flight stroke a 2016 study demonstrated that Microraptor's wings were large enough to produce flight via wing-assisted inclined running (WAIR). WAIR is a method seen in some modern birds who run up steep or vertical inclines while constantly flapping their wings. And there are still some benefits for using WAIR over normal powered flight and that is because WAIR requires less energy to perform.
Gliding:
For a long time Microraptor was imagined to have been a glider. Specifically, a phugoid styled glider, where Microraptor would launch itself from its perch, swooping downwards in a U-shaped curve before rising back up again to land on another branch and repeating the process. The feathers on the tail would be in control of drag and trajectory. With the assistance of the hindwings Microraptor would be capable of angling them to bring out the most performance when gliding.
So even though Microraptor could theoretically fly on its own power, scientists still are not completely sure whether or not Microraptor flew or not. Perhaps one day this question will be answered.
Whatever the case was for Microraptor, we know that it and it's descendants were an evolutionary dead end. Why? Well, look around...do you see any four-winged birds flying around your backyard?
Like its name suggests Microraptor was a small dinosaur and in fact it was amongst the smallest non avian dinosaurs. In addition to this Microraptor was one of the first dinosaurs uncovered with feather impressions. And indeed it was. This animal was coated in thick feathers throughout with long, pennaceous feathers on the arms and hands while the legs also sprouted long feathers forming hindwings. The tail, too, had a diamond-shaped fan of feathers.
Interestingly enough, in March of 2012, Quangua Li et al. determined the coloration of specimen BMNHC PH881. By performing deep analyzation of fossilized melanosomes in the specimen by using a scanning election microscope (SEM) the researchers compared their results to modern birds. Concluding that Microraptor's feathers demonstrated a blue-black iridescent coloration -- much like a present day crow.
Flight:
When it comes around to the subject of flight for Microraptor, well, the story gets much more complicated.
Microraptor was thought to have been an arboral dwelling creature that used its unique quadruple wings for some sort of locomotion and perhaps...an early precursor to powered flight to be seen in birds.
At a time some paleontologists have brought attention to the possibility of Microraptor using its long feathers to parachute from the tree canopies to capture prey on the forest floor. In 2007, this hypothesis was put to the test and revealed that the combined surface area of the four wings and tail would have simply been too narrow for Microraptor to parachute from the trees without inflicting injury.
Others have argued to support the plausibility that Microraptor was a powered flier. The fused sternum, asymmetrical feathers, and shoulder girdle features indicate the potential for powered flight. Although some studies suggest that the shoulder joint was too primitive to allow a full flapping stroke. And when it comes to the evolutionary history of theropods as a whole the shoulder socket faced downwards and back -- thus making it impossible to completely raise the arms. As for the maniraptoran anatomy it too shows that the shoulder socket did not shift upwards until more advanced avians appeared. Yet, paleontologists argue that Microraptor was a special acception to this. Afterall, if Microraptor could raise its arms sufficiently enough then the combined presence of a propatagium and an alula then it could be plausible that this dinosaur was a candidate for powered flight.
Even without a full vertical flight stroke a 2016 study demonstrated that Microraptor's wings were large enough to produce flight via wing-assisted inclined running (WAIR). WAIR is a method seen in some modern birds who run up steep or vertical inclines while constantly flapping their wings. And there are still some benefits for using WAIR over normal powered flight and that is because WAIR requires less energy to perform.
Gliding:
For a long time Microraptor was imagined to have been a glider. Specifically, a phugoid styled glider, where Microraptor would launch itself from its perch, swooping downwards in a U-shaped curve before rising back up again to land on another branch and repeating the process. The feathers on the tail would be in control of drag and trajectory. With the assistance of the hindwings Microraptor would be capable of angling them to bring out the most performance when gliding.
So even though Microraptor could theoretically fly on its own power, scientists still are not completely sure whether or not Microraptor flew or not. Perhaps one day this question will be answered.
Whatever the case was for Microraptor, we know that it and it's descendants were an evolutionary dead end. Why? Well, look around...do you see any four-winged birds flying around your backyard?
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