Dinosauros emplumados

Os dinosauros emplumados considéranse fósiles de transición entre dinosauros clásicos e aves. Era xa coñecido que as aves antigas como o Archaeopteryx tiñan moitas características de réptil, como dentes, e poutas nas súas dedas, e moitos anos antes teorizárase que os paxaros descendían de dinosauros terópodos. A finais dos anos 1990, os descubrimentos de dinosauros emplumados na China achegaron a proba concluínte da conexión, aínda que os detalles xenealóxicos estean a ser dilucidados.
Demostrouse de moitos xeitos a relación de descendencia entre aves e dinosauros, xa que a súa similitude morfolóxica en canto ao cranio, a cadeira, as patas e as extremidades superiores é moi notable. As aves son claramente monofiléticas e os seus primeiros representantes atópanse no Xurásico (Protoavis, un fósil controvertido do finais do Triásico, é considerado non aviano pola maioría dos paleontólogos).

 Xéneros de dinosauros emplumados 
Dende 1996 até hoxe describíronse 21 xéneros de dinosauros non avianos con plumas ou protoplumas preservadas nos seus fósiles:

 Avimimus* (1987)Kurzanov, S.M. (1987). "Avimimidae and the problem of the origin of birds." Transactions of the Joint Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition, 31: 5-92. [in Russian]Chiappe, L.M. and Witmer, L.M. (2002). Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs. Berkeley: University of California Press, 536 pp. ISBN 0-520-20094-2
 Sinosauropteryx (1996)Ji, Q., and Ji, S. (1996). "On discovery of the earliest bird fossil in China and the origin of birds." Chinese Geology 10 (233): 30-33.
 Protarchaeopteryx (1997)Ji, Q., and Ji, S. (1997). "A Chinese archaeopterygian, Protarchaeopteryx gen. nov." Geological Science and Technology (Di Zhi Ke Ji), 238: 38-41. Translated By Will Downs Bilby Research Center Northern Arizona University, xaneiro de 2001
 Caudipteryx (1998)Qiang, J., .Currie, P.J., Norell., M.A. & Shu-An, J., 1998. Two feathered dinosaursfrom northeastern China. Nature 393 753-761.
 Rahonavis* (1998).  (HTML abstract)
 Shuvuuia* (1999)Schweitzer, Mary Higby, Watt, J.A., Avci, R., Knapp, L., Chiappe, L, Norell, Mark A., Marshall, M. (1999). "Beta-Keratin Specific Immunological reactivity in Feather-Like Structures of the Cretaceous Alvarezsaurid, Shuvuuia deserti Journal of Experimental Biology (Mol Dev Evol) 255:146-157
 Sinornithosaurus (1999)Xu, X., Wang, X., Wu, X., 1999. A dromaeosaurid dinosaur with a filamentous integument from the Yixian Formation of China. Nature 401:6750 262-266 doi 10.1038/45769
 Beipiaosaurus (1999)Xu. X., Zhao, X., Clark, J.M., 1999. A new therizinosaur from the Lower Jurassic lower Lufeng Formation of Yunnan, China. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21:3 477–483 doi 10.1671/0272-4634
 Microraptor (2000)Xu, X., Zhou, Z., and Wang, X. (2000). "The smallest known non-avian theropod dinosaur." Nature, 408 (decembro): 705-708. 
 Nomingia* (2000)Barsbold, R., Osmólska, H., Watabe, M., Currie, P.J., and Tsogtbaatar, K. (2000). "New Oviraptorosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) From Mongolia: The First Dinosaur With A Pygostyle". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica, 45(2): 97-106.
 Cryptovolans (2002)
 Scansoriopteryx (2002)Czerkas, S.A., and Yuan, C. (2002). "An arboreal maniraptoran from northeast China." Pp. 63-95 in Czerkas, S.J. (Ed.), Feathered Dinosaurs and the Origin of Flight. The Dinosaur Museum Journal 1. The Dinosaur Museum, Blanding, U.S.A. PDF abridged version
 Epidendrosaurus (2002)Zhang, F., Zhou, Z., Xu, X. & Wang, X. (2002). "A juvenile coelurosaurian theropod from China indicates arboreal habits." Naturwissenschaften, 89(9): 394-398. doi=10.1007 /s00114-002-0353-8.
 Yixianosaurus (2003)Xu, X. and Wang, X.-L. (2003). "A new maniraptoran from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning." Vertebrata PalAsiatica, 41(3): 195–202.
 Dilong (2004)
 Pedopenna (2005)Xu, X., and Zhang, F. (2005). "A new maniraptoran dinosaur from China with long feathers on the metatarsus." Naturwissenschaften, 92(4): 173 - 177.
 Jinfengopteryx (2005)Ji, Q., Ji, S., Lu, J., You, H., Chen, W., Liu, Y., and Liu, Y. (2005). "First avialan bird from China (Jinfengopteryx elegans gen. et sp. nov.)." Geological Bulletin of China, 24(3): 197-205.
 Sinocalliopteryx (2007)Ji, S., Ji, Q., Lu J., and Yuan, C. (2007). "A new giant compsognathid dinosaur with long filamentous integuments from Lower Cretaceous of Northeastern China." Acta Geologica Sinica, 81(1): 8-15.
 Velociraptor* (2007)
 Epidexipteryx (2008)Zhang, F., Zhou, Z., Xu, X., Wang, X., & Sullivan, C. (2008). "A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran from China with elongate ribbon-like feathers." Available from Nature Precedings, doi:10.1038/npre.2008.2326.1 .
 Anchiornis (2009)Xu, X., Zhao, Q., Norell, M., Sullivan, C., Hone, D., Erickson, G., Wang, X., Han, F. and Guo, Y. (in press). "A new feathered maniraptoran dinosaur fossil that fills a morphological gap in avian origin." Chinese Science Bulletin, 6 pages, consultado o 15 de novembro de 2008.

 Notas 

 Véxase tamén 

 Aves
 Dinosauros
 Extinción en masa

Categoría:Dinosauros
Categoría:Especies extintas
Categoría:Fósiles