Duck-Like Fossil Found in China

Fossils of a bird that lived 110 million years ago and closely resembled a duck were found in northwest China, pointing to a common ancestor of all birds.

One of the fossils preserved the webbing between the toes, reports The New York Times.

The findings by an international team led by Chinese paleontologists are reported in Friday’s edition of the journal Science.

The Washington Post reported the fossils, known as Gansus yumenensis , were found in Gansu province, 1,200 miles west of Beijing.

The Post said the well-preserved fossils are of the oldest known ancestor of modern birds — a swimmer and flier leading researches to believe modern birds may have evolved from aquatic ancestors.

They were clearly able to fly but were also adaptable for swimming and diving, said team member Matthew C. Lamanna of the Carnegie Museum of

Natural History. We don’t know what they ate because we don’t have a skull, but the legs and feet are those of a diver. He had a powerful kick stroke.

Lamanna said scientists had earlier unearthed fragmentary remains of Gansus, but the latest find provided many new details, the Post reported.