Upper Jaw Fossil of Small Theropod Discovered, Feathered Dinosaur? Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture
2008-07-31
An upper jaw fossil of a dinosaur believed to belong to the small theropod dromaeosaurid group has been found in a Cretaceous stratum in Katsuyama City, Fukui Prefecture.
It is an upper jaw fossil 9.7 cm long and 3.9 cm high, with four teeth attached. The body length is estimated to be about 2m.
The surrounding rock still contains many fossils, and they aim to reconstruct the entire skeleton in the future.
The theory that dromaeosaurids "evolved into birds" is widely accepted, and close relatives include Deinonychus and Velociraptor.