Long-Toed Bird Preserved In Amber For 99 Million Years

A long-toed bird preserved in amber from Myanmar is the first of its kind. (Credit: Lida Xing) Smaller than a sparrow, a bird that lived 99 million years ago in what's now Southeast Asia had legs unlike any other avian. The bird's hindlimb features one toe longer than its entire lower leg bone. Lucky for paleontologists, a piece of amber has preserved the animal's odd anatomy. Found in Burmese amber and identified as new species, Elektorornis chenguangi is known only from one hindl

from All DiscoverMagazine.com content http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/deadthings/?p=3557