Feather a dromaeosaurid found in the Yixian formation (124.6 MYA). Previously, a temporal paradox existed in the evolution of feathers—theropods with highly derived bird-like characteristics occurred at a later time than "Archaeopteryx"—suggesting that the descendants of birds arose before the ancestor. However, the discovery of "Anchiornis huxleyi" in the Late Jurassic Tiaojishan Formation (160 MYA) in western Liaoning in 2009 resolved this paradox. By predating "Archaeopteryx", "Anchiornis" proves the existence of a modernly feathered theropod ancestor, providing insight into the dinosaur-bird transition. The specimen shows distribution of large pennaceous feathers on the forelimbs and tail, implying that pennaceous feathers spread to
Granger Archaeopteryx Granger Archaeopteryx The Granger Archaeopteryx is a British single-engined, tailless parasol monoplane designed and built in the late 1920s by two brothers, R.F.T. and R.J.T. Granger. The sole example built is currently under restoration for flight. The layout of the Archaeopteryx was inspired by the tailless swept-winged Westland-Hill Pterodactyl, itself derived from the aircraft of J. W. Dunne. These aircraft had been designed to resist stalling and to allow easy and safe recovery if they did. The Archaeopteryx follows the Dunne D.7 in being a parasol wing monoplane, however it differs in being the first aircraft of tailless swept configuration