While the first specimen of "Anchiornis," found in the 2000s, preserved only faint traces of feathers around the preserved portion of the body, the well-preserved second specimen showed nearly complete feather preservation, allowing researchers to identify the structure of the feathers and how they were distributed.
As in other early birds, such as "Microraptor", "Anchiornis" had large wings, made up of flight feathers attached to the arm and hand (as in modern birds) as well as flight feathers on the hind legs, forming an arrangement of fore and hind wings. The forewing of "Anchiornis" was composed of 11 primary feathers and 10 secondary feathers. Unlike "Microraptor", the primary feathers in "Anchiornis" were about as long as the secondaries and formed a more rounded wing, with curved but symmetrical central vanes, a small and thin relative size, and rounded tips, all indicating poorer aerodynamic ability compared to its later relative. In "Microraptor" and "Archaeopteryx", the longest forewing feathers were closest to the tip of the wing, making the wings appear long, narrow, and pointed. However, in "Anchiornis", the longest wing feathers anchored near the wrist, making the wing broadest in the middle and tapering near the tip for a more rounded, less flight-adapted profile.
The hind wings of "Anchiornis" were also shorter than those of "Microraptor", and were made up of 12–13 flight feathers anchored to the tibia (lower leg) and 10–11 to the metatarsus (upper foot). Also unlike "Microraptor", the hind wing feathers were longest closer to the body, with the foot feathers being short and directed downward, almost perpendicular to the foot bones. Unlike any other known Mesozoic dinosaur, the feet of "Anchiornis" (except for the claws) were completely covered in feathers (much shorter than the ones making up the hind wing).
Two types of simpler, downy (plumaceous) feathers covered the rest of the body, as in "Sinornithosaurus". Long downy feathers covered almost the entire head and neck, torso, upper legs,and the first half of the tail. The rest of the tail bore pennaceous tail feathers (rectrices).
In 2010, a team examined numerous points among the feathers of an extremely well-preserved "Anchiornis" specimen to survey the distribution of melanosomes, the pigment cells that give feathers their colour. By studying the melanosomes and comparing them with those of modern birds, the scientists were able to map the colours and patterning present on "Anchiornis" when it was alive. Though this technique had been used before, "Anchiornis" became the first Mesozoic dinosaur for which almost the entire life colouration was known.
Most of the body feathers of "Anchiornis" were grey and black. The crown of head feathers was mainly reddish with a grey base and front, and the face had rufous speckles among predominantly black head feathers. The fore and hind wing feathers were white with black tips. The coverts (shorter feathers covering the bases of the long wing feathers) were grey, contrasting the mainly white main wings. The larger coverts of the wing were also white with grey or black tips, forming rows of darker dots along mid-wing. These took the form of dark stripes or even rows of dots on the outer wing (primary feather coverts) but a more uneven array of speckles on the inner wing (secondary coverts). The shanks of the legs were grey other than the long hind wing feathers, and the feet and toes were black.
Like many modern birds, "Anchiornis" exhibited a complex pattern of coloration with different colours in speckled patterns across the body and wings, or "within- and among-feather plumage coloration". In modern birds, such colour patterning is used in communication and display, either to members of the same species (e.g. for mating or territorial threat display) or to threaten and warn off competing or predatory species.
"Anchiornis" is notable for its long forelimbs, which were 80% of the total length of the hind limbs. This is similar to "Archaeopteryx"; long forelimbs are necessary for flight. "Anchiornis" also had a more avian wrist than other non-avialan theropods. The authors first thought that "Anchiornis" could fly or glide. However, further finds showed that the wings of "Anchiornis", while well-developed, were short when compared to later species like "Microraptor", with relatively short primary feathers that had rounded, symmetrical tips, unlike the pointed, aerodynamically proportioned feathers of "Microraptor". So the animal could glide, but probably not fly.
"Anchiornis" has long hind legs, suggesting a fast-running lifestyle. However, the legs and even feet and toes of "Anchiornis" were covered in feathers, making it unlikely that "Anchiornis" was a capable ground runner. A tree-based glider is the probable life-style.
Šumadija
Šumadija (Serbian Cyrillic: Шумадија) is a geographical region in Serbia. The area was heavily forested, hence the name ("Šuma" - forest). The city of Kragujevac is the center of the region, and the administrative center of the Šumadija District in Central Serbia.
Šumadija is located between rivers Sava and Danube in the north, river Velika Morava in the east, river Zapadna Morava in the south, and Kolubara, Ljig and Dičina in the west. According to some interpretations (for example, physiologists such as Jovan Cvijić and ethnologist such as Erdeljanović.), the northern border of Šumadija lay between Avala and Kosmaj mountain. According to that view, the capital of Serbia, Belgrade does not belong to this region.
During the 18th century, the forests of Šumadija were the refuge for the Hajduks that fought against Ottoman occupation. The first Serbian uprising in 1804 was led by national hero Karađorđe. The second Serbian uprising in 1815 was led by Miloš Obrenović who successfully repelled the Turkish forces and, by 1830, Serbia had gained its full autonomy. Because of Miloš's efforts and negotiations Serbia was finally an independent state, after centuries under Ottoman reign.
Between 1922 and 1929, one of the administrative units of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was named Šumadijska Oblast. It roughly included territory of present-day Šumadija District with its administrative seat in Kragujevac, which is the seat of the modern district as well.
Some of the large cities and towns in Šumadija are:
Other smaller towns include:
New York Hall of Science
The New York Hall of Science is a science and technology museum in New York City. It has over 400 exhibits on biology, chemistry and physics. The museum occupies one of the only remaining structures of the 1964 New York World's Fair in Flushing Meadow-Corona Park in the borough of Queens in New York City.
Guadarrama
Guadarrama is a village in the nothwestern part of the community of Madrid, in Spain. The population of Guadarrama is almost 15,000 people. In summer, there can be 60,000 people.
Guadarrama has become an important tourist point. It is a second home for many people from Madrid.
Guadarrama is near the "Sierra of Guadarrama".
Cia-Cia language
The Cia-Cia language (Hangul: 바하사 찌아찌아, Roman: Bahasa Ciacia), also known as South Buton(ese), is an Austronesian language spoken principally around the town of Bau-Bau on the southern tip of Buton Island off the southeast coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia.
Elmer Gedeon
Elmer John Gedeon (April 15, 1917 – April 20, 1944) is one of only two Major League Baseball players killed in action during World War II. He was also a multi-sport star in college at the University of Michigan.
At Michigan, Gedeon became an All-American in track and field, and earned varsity letters in both American football and baseball. He tied a world record in the high hurdles in 1938. After graduating, Gedeon had a position in Major League Baseball as an outfielder for the Washington Senators. Gedeon spent most of the 1939 and 1940 baseball seasons in the minor leagues. He was called up to the Senators in September 1939.