Dinosaurs: Newly Discovered Velociraptor Cousin Had Feathers and Wings

First Posted: Jul 16, 2015 09:56 AM EDT

Paleontologists have uncovered a new species of feathered dinosaur that's the largest to ever be discovered. The new dinosaur had a set of bird-like wings and was actually a close cousin of the Velociraptor.

The wings are actually short compared with other dinosaurs in the same family. They consist of multiple layers of large feathers, and the feathers themselves were complex structures made up of fine branches stemming from a central shaft.

Larger feathered dinosaurs have been identified before, but none have possessed such complex wings made up of quill pen-like feathers. While researchers have long known that many species of dinosaurs had feathers, most of these were covered with simple filaments that looked more like hair than modern bird feathers.

The species actually belonged to a family of feathered carnivores that was widespread during the Cretaceous period and lived about 125 million years ago. The near-complete skeleton of the animal revealed that it had dense feathers that covered its wings and tail. It grew to more than five feet in length and probably could not fly.

"This new dinosaur is one of the closest cousins of Velociraptor, but it looks just like a bird," said Steve Brusatte, one of the researchers, in a news release. "It's a dinosaur with huge wings made up of quill pen feathers, just like an eagle or a vulture. The movies have it wrong-this is what Velociraptor would have looked like too."

The findings reveal not only a bit more about this dinosaur, but also about Velociraptors. This may tell scientists a bit more about what these creatures looked like.

The findings are published in the journal Scientific Reports.