NEW YORK, January 8: Scientists say dinosaur fossils discovered in China with feather-like features suggest the creature was warm-blooded - a theory that could heighten the debate over the fundamental nature of dinosaurs.Researchers have long argued whether dinosaurs were warm- or cold-blooded. The new study also touches on the debate over why feathers arose.The Chinese fossil discovery made headlines last year because it appeared to show the creature had primitive feathers. Some scientists said it confirmed the widely accepted notion that birds evolved from dinosaurs.Others objected, saying it's not clear whether the fossils really show anything related to feathers. The debate continues.In today's issue of the journal Nature, Chinese researchers described two specimens of sinosauropteryx prima, both discovered by farmers north-east of Beijing.The dinosaur was basically the size of a turkey with a long, lizard-like tail. One specimen measures about 2-feet long from the snout to the tip of the tail, and the other is somewhat bigger. The dinosaur walked on its hind legs and had short, stout forelimbs.Scientists are debating how old the fossils are, with estimates ranging from around 120 million years to about 140 million or older.The specimens are squished, fossilised remains pressed into slabs of rock, showing the dinosaur in profile. The feather-like features appear along the neck, back and tail.The feather-like features on the Chinese dinosaur give no sign of being useful for flying, Chinese scientists said.
