| Confuciusornis sanctis A saurian bird. It is the
most primitive bird except for the Archaeopteryx in Germany. The
major features of it include: skull bones are unfused; postorbital bone is
retained; teeth are lost and replaced by a horny beak; three claws well
developed on the forelimb; and there is a distinctive fenestra on the
humerus.
Locality: Sihetun, Shangyaun, Beipiao City, Liaoning Province, China
Age and Horizon: Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous; the lower part of the Yixian Formation
Etymology: Generic and species names refer to Confucius, an educationist
and thinker in ancient China
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