Carnegie Museum of Natural History’s curator of vertebrate paleontology and senior dinosaur researcher Dr. Matt Lamanna, alongside a team of researchers, has identified a new predatory dinosaur species from northwestern China, marking the first time a non-avian dinosaur has been discovered at one of the world’s most important fossil bird sites. The newly named species, Jian changmaensis, belongs to the Microraptorinae – a group of small to medium-sized, feathered theropod dinosaurs colloquially known as microraptors that are closely related to velociraptor of “Jurassic Park” fame. The discovery of Jian changmaensis provides insight into the origin of birds, as this dinosaur is one of the closest known non-avian relatives of the more than 10,000 bird species on the planet today. Dating to about 120 million years ago, during the early Cretaceous Period, Jian changmaensis offers rare anatomical preservation that may help scientists better understand how powered flight evolved in birds. “This remarkable discovery represents a meaningful contribution to our understanding of life on Earth,” said Dr. Carey Miller, interim director of Carnegie Museum of Natural History.