23
Health & Science3h 47m ago

Scientists have unearthed bones of a Cretaceous Period dinosaur, Jian changmaensis, which was about the size of a barn owl and closely related to Velociraptor, in northwestern China.

Archive Window: 7 Days Left

Gansu Province, northwestern China

Who
paleontologists Matt Lamanna and Jingmai O’Connor
What
Scientists have unearthed bones of a Cretaceous Period dinosaur, Jian changmaensis, which was about the size of a barn owl and closely related to Velociraptor, in northwestern China.
When
Sat, 13 Jun 2026 00:24:25 GMT · 3h 47m ago
Where
Gansu Province, northwestern China ·
Why
The dinosaur, named Jian changmaensis, seems to fit the bill of a small and opportunistic carnivorous dinosaur that preyed on the dense avian population of a lakeside ecosystem.
The Frontline Impact

How this affects you

This discovery provides new insights into the diversity of small feathered dinosaurs during the Cretaceous Period and their ecological roles, highlighting the close evolutionary relationship between raptors and early birds.

Story chain

4 events in this thread

Verified Sources & Citations