中国发现全球最古老鸟类！

2月13日，中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所与福建省地质调查研究院联合发布最新研究成果：通过对福建省政和动物群发现的侏罗纪鸟类化石的研究，发现全球最古老的鸟类之一——“政和八闽鸟”（Baminornis zhenghensis），也是迄今唯一确切的侏罗纪鸟类，揭示了现代鸟类的体型结构在侏罗纪晚期（距今1.5亿年）就已经出现。相关研究成果北京时间2月13日在《自然》发表。

A set of fossils discovered in East China's Fujian province has been identified as the only known unambiguous record of Jurassic birds, pushing back the origin of birds to the late Middle Jurassic period and rewriting the history of avian evolution.

Jurassic /dʒʊˈræsɪk/ 侏罗纪的

avian /ˈeɪviən/ 鸟（类）的

“政和八闽鸟”和“政和动物群”生态复原图 图源：新华社

我国发现全球

最古老鸟类——政和八闽鸟

该化石于2023年11月在政和大溪盆地发现，经过长达一年的室内修复和研究分析，研究团队确定了该化石属于鸟类，并将其命名为政和八闽鸟。其属名“八闽”是福建的古称。

After a year of restoration and research, a joint team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Fujian Institute of Geological Survey confirmed that the set of fossils discovered in November 2023 in Daxi village of Fujian's Zhenghe county belong to a bird from the late Middle Jurassic period.

中国科学院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所研究员、科学探索奖获奖人王敏介绍， 根据一些体重的测算公式，能估算出八闽鸟的体重在150克左右，“和一些小型的鹦鹉大小比较相近”。

"After systematic research and comparison, the hypothesis was confirmed. The restored bird weighed over 150 grams, similar to a domesticated pet parrot," said Wang Min, a researcher from the CAS institute.

王敏介绍，在整个化石标本所在的政和动物群，还发现了一些生活在水里或水边的动物，比如像鱼类、龟鳖类，“我认为这代表的是类似于沼泽的环境。”

The area of the fossil assemblage, characterized by swamps and wetlands, was home to a diverse array of species of fish, amphibians and reptiles, among others.

“政和八闽鸟”化石 图源：央视新闻）

虽然化石不完整，但是它保存了很多重要信息。例如具有分离的肩胛骨和乌喙骨，腰带骨骼显现出很多进步的特征。其中最重要、最特殊的地方就是具有愈合的尾综骨，这是构成现代鸟类体型的基石。

Its fossils display a unique combination of features including birdlike shoulder and pelvic girdles as well as a hand structure resembling that of nonavian dinosaurs, according to the CAS.

What makes the Baminornis unique is that it has a short tail that consists of the pygostyle, which is a key feature of the modern bird body plan," Wang said.

鸟类和其他爬行动物最显著的区别就是鸟类的尾巴很短，不但尾椎数目减少，而且最后几枚尾椎（vertebrae）愈合成尾综骨（pygostyle）结构，尾骨缩短是恐龙向鸟类演化中最彻底的形态变化之一。

One of the most significant differences between birds and reptiles is in their tails. Avian species have shorter tails with fewer tail vertebrae, and the last few vertebrae are fused into a structure called the pygostyle.

该发现将鸟类起源时间

推至中侏罗晚期

据了解，目前全世界最古老的鸟类，比较公认的是德国发现的始祖鸟（The Archaeopteryx），它发现在侏罗纪时期，距今大概1.5亿年。然而始祖鸟的分类位置近期受到质疑，部分研究认为始祖鸟属于恐爪龙类，而非鸟类。

The Archaeopteryx, the fossils of which were first discovered around 1860, belonged to the Late Jurassic period and was once considered the earliest bird. However, its long tail and primitive features led some scientists to question its classification as a bird. Instead, they suggested that it belonged to a group of bird-like dinosaurs.

“政和八闽鸟”的发现首次揭示了现代鸟类的体型在侏罗纪就已经出现，并将鸟类起源时间推至中侏罗晚期，大约1.72亿至1.64亿年前，是目前最确切的且唯一的侏罗纪鸟类，极大地丰富了人类对鸟类进化历史的认识。

除了八闽鸟化石之外，王敏带领的研究团队还发现了一个单独保存的叉骨（furcula）。初步的研究结果显示，该叉骨明显区别于政和八闽鸟，与出现于1.3亿年前白垩纪的今鸟型类非常相似。这一发现证实，至少两种鸟类生活在政和动物群，如果未来能证实该叉骨的确属于今鸟型类，那么鸟类起源的时间将会进一步提前。

The discovery of this furcula confirms that at least two species of birds lived in the Zhenghe Fauna. If the furcula indeed belongs to the ornithuromorpha, the origin of birds would be pushed back even further.

记者：闫东洁 胡美东

实习生：林朝阳

来源：央视新闻 新华社 中国日报