We aren't sure the rhyme goes like that either?
A 120-million-year-old bird sported a long tail and a
second, shorter tail.
The discovery points to
a complicated evolutionary path for the tails we see in birds today.
One of the oldest known birds that is the Jeholornis, lived in what is
today China. It was also thought to sport only a long
fan-feathered tail at its back end. Now, however, paleontologists are claiming
discovery of a second tail frond adorning the bird.
In peacocks and other birds, such feathery features are more
for attracting the attention of potential mates than for any functional purpose.
Since male birds today are the ones with the striking
plumage, the authors suggest that perhaps only one sex of Jeholornis sported
the eye-catching tail fronds.
Written by JC
.jpg){kind=link}