Scientists have found a new winged, feathered dinosaur. Named Zhengyuanlong, or “Zhengyuan’s dragon” after the man who obtained the fossil for study, the 6 ft., 6 in. long beast was an ancestor of the velociraptor.
Though Zhengyuanlong was flightless, it is believed to be a precursor to the modern bird. The dinosaur was found in northeast China, almost perfectly preserved in limestone.
According to lead researched Dr. Steve Brusatte, “It has short arms, and it is covered in feathers [with] proper wings with layers of quill-pen feathers” and “looks exactly like a turkey or a vulture.”