Bizarre Cretaceous bird shows evolutionarily decoupled skull and body(1/4)

Photo released on Jan. 2, 2023 shows a life reconstruction of the 120-million-year-old bird Cratonavis zhui. (Photo provided to China News Service)

A new, complete 120-million-year-old fossil bird has a dinosaur-like skull articulated with a bird-like body. In addition, the fossil specimen, named Cratonavis zhui, preserves a surprisingly elongate scapula and first metatarsal, making it stand out from all other birds including fossil ones.

Type specimen of Cratonavis zhui. (Photo provided to China News Service)

Evolution timeline of first metatarsal. (Photo provided to China News Service)

Evolution timeline of elongate scapula. (Photo provided to China News Service)