Ubirajara jubatus is named after a Tupi indigenous name for “lord of the spear,” in reference to the creature’s stiffened, elongate structures, and from the Latin word for “maned” or “crested.” (Credit: Bob Nicholls/Paleocreations.com 2020)
(CN) A newly discovered, 110-million-year-old theropod’s elaborate appearance, including pairs of blades protruding backwards from its shoulders, suggest the bright plumage and courtship displays seen in today’s birds may date further back than scientists previously believed.
“We’ve been perhaps too conservative in our reconstruction of other dinosaurs. I think we have to be a bit more imaginative,” said Robert Smyth, a paleobiologist at the University of Portsmouth in England and the lead author of a study published Monday in Cretaceous Research about the new dinosaur.
Fancy chicken-sized dinosaur sported a furry mane and shoulder ribbons
It was the peacock of its time. Listen - 01:22
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This delightful dino is named Ubirajara jubatus and it had some fancy features. Bob Nicholls/Paleocreations.com 2020
Some dinosaurs are known for their magnificent bulk. Hello, brontosaurus. Some have a fierce reputation for meat eating. Here s looking at you, T. rex. Now meet Ubirajara jubatus. It wasn t big, but it was glorious.
Ubirajara jubatus was a dinosaur the size of a chicken, and it was quite a looker. In a statement Monday, the University of Portsmouth in the UK characterized it as the most elaborately dressed-to-impress dinosaur ever described.
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| UPDATED: 07:02, Thu, Dec 17, 2020
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The elaborately-decorated dinosaur species Ubirajara jubatus is known to have been only the size of a chicken. With a mane of long fur flowing down its back and strangely-stiff ribbons stuck out from its shoulders, the dinosaur s features have never before been seen in fossils.
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Ubirajara jubatus is named after a Tupi Indian name for ‘lord of the spear’, in reference to the creature’s stiffened structures, and jubatus from the Latin meaning ‘crested’ (Bob Nicholls/Paleocreations.com)
A new chicken-sized dinosaur with flamboyant features used to attract mates or intimidate foes has been discovered.
Ubirajara jubatus, which lived about 110 million years ago, had elaborate plumage including a long fur mane and stiff ribbons projecting from its shoulders.
Researchers said these shoulder ribbons were not scales, fur or feathers and are believed to be unique to the animal. Each had a small sharp ridge running along the middle.