Confuciusornis shifan Wang et al., 2022 (new species)
(Type specimen of Confuciusornis shifan [scale bars = 2 cm], from Wang et al., 2022)
Meaning of name: shifan = paragon of teachers [in Chinese, referencing Confucius and the 70th anniversary of Shenyang Normal University]
Age: Early Cretaceous (Aptian), about 119 million years ago
Where found: Jiufotang Formation, Liaoning, China
How much is known: Nearly complete skeleton of one individual.
Notes: C. shifan was a confuciusornithiform, a group of bird-like, flying dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous. Many other species in the genus Confuciusornis have been named, though only C. sanctus (the type species) and C. dui are widely accepted as valid.
Estimated as having weighed about 175 g, C. shifan was smaller than most other confuciusornithiforms (including the other species of Confuciusornis), but examination of the microscopic structure of its bones indicates that the type specimen had been an adult when it died. An unusual feature of C. shifan is that it had an extra bone in its palm that would have connected to the thumb. Small “additional” bones like this tend to evolve in parts of the skeleton that experience high stress. Combined with well-developed muscle attachment surfaces on its wing bones, this may indicate that C. shifan had stronger flight capabilities than other confuciusornithiforms. In particular, the proportions of its wings relative to its body size suggest that it was adapted to short-distance but highly maneuverable flights, similar to many small, forest-dwelling birds today.
Reference: Wang, R., D. Hu, M. Zhang, S. Wang, Q. Zhao, C. Sullivan, and X. Xu. 2022. A new confuciusornithid bird with a secondary epiphyseal ossification reveals phylogenetic changes in confuciusornithid flight mode. Communications Biology 5: 1398. doi: 10.1038/s42003-022-04316-6
