This new species of discovery dinosaur did not roar (it was touched like a bird)

What if the dinosaurs had never Rugi? A new paleontological discovery in China reveals that a small herbivorous dinosaur of the Jurassic probably emitted sounds close to those of modern birds. This advance calls into question the sound image of dinosaurs, anchored in the collective imagination for decades.

An unexpected discovery at the heart of Yanliao’s biote

In northeast of China, the formation of Tiaojishan, an exceptional fossilifer site belonging to the Biote de Yanliao, delivered an extraordinary fossil: an almost complete skeleton of an unknown small dinosaur, barely 60 centimeters. Baptized Pulaosaurus qinglongin tribute to a mythical Chinese dragon known for his cry, this dinosaur was dated from the Upper Jurassic, between 150 and 165 million years.

It is the very first neornithischian ever discovered in this region, renowned for its fossils of small theropods and primitive birds. This find therefore comes to fill a major gap in our understanding of the evolution of herbivorous dinosaurs.

A dinosaur that sang?

But it is above all an anatomical detail that caught the attention of researchers: the presence of fossilized bones of the larynx. It is extremely rare. To date, only two fossil specimens of dinosaurs have revealed elements of the larynx, and Pulaosaurus
is one of them.

The elongated structures, in the shape of leaves, strongly recall those of modern birds. However, in birds, the larynx plays an essential role in vocal production. This similarity suggests that
Pulaosaurus qinglong
Could make sounds, not powerful and guttural, but perhaps high, light, and close to chirping.

This hypothesis calls into question the popular idea – widely conveyed by the cinema – of a world of dinosaurs dominated by thunderous roars. On the contrary, some of them may communicate as birds, using more subtle vocalizations to interact.

A new piece of the evolutionary puzzle

On the scalable level,
Pulaosaurus qinglong
Belongs to the group of neornithischia, a subset of ornithischians, these herbivorous dinosaurs in the backward-oriented basin, close to that of birds. Until now, the fossils of this group have been very little represented in the biote of Yanliao. This discovery therefore considerably enriches the known diversity of the region and gives a precious overview of the early evolution of these dinosaurs.

Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that this dinosaur was one of the oldest known neornithis. Its study therefore makes it possible to better retrace the evolutionary history of this group and to understand the dynamics of diversification in the upper Jurassic.

An anatomy adapted to vegetarian life

Beyond its vocal capacities, Pulaosaurus
also intrigues by its eating habits. Analysis of the abdominal cavity revealed the presence of small round stones, similar to those used by certain birds to grind their food, as well as imprints that can correspond to seeds. The shape of his teeth, his jaw and his tongue indicate that he probably fed on tender plants, such as ferns or young shoots.

This morphology confirms the idea that this dinosaur occupied a very precise ecological niche within its environment: that of a small forest herbivore, discreet but perfectly suited to its time.

A miniature dinosaur, but a major advance

The discovery of
Pulaosaurus qinglong
exceeds the simple paleontological framework. It obliges us to in depth the image we have of dinosaurs, not only in terms of appearance – more and more evidence suggest that they were covered with feathers – but also in terms of behavior and communication.

This little dinosaur with a bird’s cry symbolizes a turning point: that of a science that advances as technology is progressing and that new fossils emerge from the past. And he recalls that sometimes the greatest revelations come from the smallest creatures.

A new voice for dinosaurs

Long considered as powerful roaring colossi, the dinosaurs today reveal a completely different facet of their existence. Thanks to discoveries like that of Pulaosauruswe understand that some of them perhaps lived in a richer, more varied-and more familiar sound world than we imagined.

Science continues to rewrite the history of dinosaurs, no longer with claws and fangs, but through the delicate imprints of a cry forgotten for 150 million years.