Fossils of ancient birds 120 million years ago have been found in Japan

TOKYO, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- Fossils of birds about 120 million years old have been found in Fukui Prefecture, Japan, with tail bones not found in previously discovered bird fossils from similar periods to help people understand the evolution of early birds, Japanese researchers said in a paper published in the new issue of the British journal Communication-Biology.
fossils were found in a formation about 120 million years ago in Fukui Prefecture in 2013, according to researchers at Fukui Prefecture University and other institutions in Japan. The researchers concluded that the bird was under one year old and had a wingspan of about 50 centimeters. The researchers named it Fukuipteryx prima, meaning "the original Fukui wing."
researchers say it is the oldest bird fossil in Japan and is of global significance. The ancestral bird is thought to be the most primitive bird, living in the late Jurassic period about 150 million years ago. The bird fossils found this time belong to the Cretaceous period, and some Cretaceous bird fossils have been found before, but lack tail bones, and the "primitive Fukui wing" fossils have a fully formed tail bones.
is a triangular bone located at the end of the spine that supports the tail feather and is an important feature of modern birds. The researchers say the new findings support the idea that tail bones may be by-products of tail degradation, which could help better understand the evolution of birds.