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Giant bird-like dinosaur found

Chinese researchers unearth a surprising find.

Researchers in China have unearthed the bones of a gigantic bird-like dinosaur, dwarfing anything else in its category.

Read the story here.

Posted by Nicola Jones on June 13, 2007
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An interesting article. I have one question: I notice in the upper right of the illustration what appear to be something like Canada geese flying overhead. Is this an unintended anachronism, or did birds really coexist with dinosaurs?

I'm just a curious layman.
Thanks

Posted by: Steve Wenner | June 14, 2007 02:36 AM

I was curious if it was possible to have more pictures of the actual fossils found. It is a rather interesting story and one that deserves quite a bit of attention. Nevertheless, I feel as though there is not enough evidence for me to consider it without adequate photo documentation. A drawing simply does not suffice and others seem to only capture the head. Please let me know.

An Interested Student

Posted by: anonymous | June 14, 2007 01:50 PM

Steve, there is no scientific evidence showing that birds did not co-exist with dinosaurs. On the contrary, there is quite a bit of evidence in the fosil record to support this. Just one more exiting twist in the whole history of this planet.

Posted by: David Nash | June 14, 2007 03:26 PM

Steve wrote. "I notice in the upper right of the illustration what appear to be something like Canada geese flying overhead. Is this an unintended anachronism, or did birds really coexist with dinosaurs?"

That could be flocks of the bird Confucusornis sanctus from the early Cretaceous / late Jurassic of Liaoning Province, or Yanornis martini(any-time, any-place, any-where). Although the cretaceous duck Vegavis iaai might fit the bill.

Posted by: Andrew | June 14, 2007 03:29 PM

There are no clear signs as to whether it was feathered. However, judging from its close affinity to other dinosaurs known to have been feathered,

They speculate that older creatures would have been even bigger.

Seems to be a lot of assumptions for the Headline to read "Giant Bird like Dinosaur Found" One would think before they released a press writing they would be able to confirm their find. Evolutionist's and their "missing links" seem to change as quickly as the direction of the wind. How can any assumption be a fact. The more they seem to know the less they know. "Believed"[sic] to have feathers, Gigantoraptor is "psssed"* off as something akin to a comical, giant ostrich.
*(emphasis mine.) I can "believe" I have a computer because it's science that can be tested and proven every day; however to just "believe" something based on "assumptions" does not make it so.


Posted by: Farrow Banks | June 16, 2007 03:09 AM

This is the kind of bad science that I find distasteful. There is no scientific evidence to suggest that this creature had feathers or a beak, yet the researchers at IVPP took the time to make some drawings of what looks like an ostrich. Why would they do that? Unfortunately, the scientific community is motivated by funding and recognition rather than performing good science. Politics generates bad science.

Posted by: Rich | June 18, 2007 03:12 PM

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