There were a bewildering number of small, probably feathered theropods roaming late Jurassic Asia, many of them closely related to the North American Coelurus (and thus referred to as "coelurosaurian" dinosaurs). All rights reserved. Judging by this dinosaur's unusually long legs (about a foot long, compared to a head-to-tail body size of only two feet or so) Xixianykus must have been an unusually fast runner, chasing down small, speedy animals at the same time as it avoided being eaten by larger theropods. Discovered in 2006, but only formally announced in 2013, Aorun was a fairly typical early theropod, albeit with slight anatomical differences that distinguished it from fellow meat-eaters like Guanlong and Sinraptor. Although there is strong evidence that the majority of theropod dinosaurs had feathers, the dinosaurs in the new Jurassic World film are all portrayed with scaly skin, In recent years, paleontologists (people who study dinosaurs) have discovered that most dinosaurs However, one rogue theory proposes that not only was Epidexipteryx a true bird, but that it had "de-evolved" from flying birds that lived millions of years earlier, during the early Jurassic period. WebThere is now no doubt that many theropod dinosaur species had feathers, including Shuvuuia, Sinosauropteryx and Dilong (an early tyrannosaur). In light of the fact that its remains were found mixed in with those of other early Cretaceous dino-birds such as Incisivosaurus and Sinornithosaurus, it probably hunted its fellow theropods (and was hunted by them in turn). Alternatively, it may be the case that the earliest common ancestor of all dinosaurs sported feathers, and some later dinosaurs lost this adaptation as a result of evolutionary pressures. As befitting its name, Greek for "air thief," what we know about Pneumatoraptor is airy and insubstantial: not only can't we be sure what group of theropods it belonged to, but it's represented in the fossil record by a single shoulder girdle. Only afterward was it recognized that all three parts belonged to the same dinosaur, hence the reversion to the original name. Unearthed in the vicinity of three similar theropods (two of which have been named, and one of which remains unidentified), Nankangia seems to have been largely herbivorous, and probably spent a fair amount of its time evading the attention of larger tyrannosaurs and raptors. The specimen is definitive proof that two-legged dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex had bird-like feathers. Ostrom studied a fossil creature from the end of the Jurassic period called , a raven-sized dinosaur that had wings and flight feathers. They had erect stances, four chambered hearts, fast growth rates, and an early unidirectional lung. Zuolong coexisted with two other, larger theropods, Sinraptor and Monolophosaurus, that may well have hunted it down for dinner (or at least ordered it out on the phone). It turns out that this dino-bird had an orange, mohawk-like crest of feathers on its head, alternating white- and black-striped feathers running along the width of its wings, and black and red "freckles" spotting its beaked face. The fossils, which included six skulls and many more bones, greatly broaden the number of families of dinosaurs sporting feathersdowny, ribboned, and thin ones in this caseindicating that plumes evolved from the scales that covered earlier reptiles, probably as insulation. Long story short, Wellnhoferia is the name assigned to one of these "outlying" Archaeopteryx fossils, distinguished from its brethren by its shorter tail and other, relatively obscure details of its anatomy. Notably, oviraptors are known for their feathers, bird-like skulls and omnivorous diet. They may look like deadly Freddy Kruger hunting tools, but experts believe Therizinosaurus used these huge claws for ripping up plants and branches for food. Early feathers were not evolved for The only known fossil of Juravenator is of an extremely small individual, presumably a juvenile, only about two feet long. This seems unlikely, but the discovery of Epidexipteryx does raise the question of whether feathers evolved primarily for flight, or began as a strictly ornamental adaptation meant to attract to opposite sex. The controversial man behind the atomic bomb, Discovering time-honored traditions in Texas, 4 French royal mistresses who made their mark on history. An artists impression of a Caihong juji, a 160 million-year-old bird-like dinosaur found in Hebei province in China, which had Name: Linhevenator (Greek for "Linhe hunter"); pronounced LIN-heh-veh-nay-tore, Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (80-70 million years ago), Size and Weight: About five feet long and 75 pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Moderate size; feathers; large claws on hind feet, Not all feathered dinosaurs equipped with large, curved claws on their hind feet were true raptors. The plant-eating dinosaurs likely died and fell to the lake bottom, where eruptions soon after covered them with a fine ash. Name: Huaxiagnathus (Chinese/Greek for "Chinese jaw"); pronounced HWAX-ee-ag-NATH-us, Historical Period: Early Cretaceous (130 million years ago), Size and Weight: About six feet long and 75 pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Large size; long fingers on hand; probably feathers. Its name is certainly more distinctive, but taxonomically speaking, Khaan was closely related to fellow oviraptors (small, feathered theropods) like Oviraptor and Conchoraptor (this dinosaur was originally mistaken for another central Asian oviraptor, Ingenia). "I think that the common ancestor of dinosaurs probably had feathers, and that all dinosaurs had some type of feather, just like all mammals have some type of hair.". Name: Aorun (after a Chinese deity); pronounced AY-oh-run, Historical Period: Late Jurassic (160 million years ago), Size and Weight: About two feet long and a few pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; slender build. Despite its avian features, however, Nomingia was clearly more on the dinosaur than on the bird end of the evolutionary spectrum. Confusingly, though, this small, feathered theropod had the raised single claw on each hind foot characteristic of raptors, and thus may represent an intermediate form between early raptors and later troodonts. In this case, the "pro" in the name refers to Protarchaeopteryx's supposedly less advanced features; this dino-bird seems to have been considerably less aerodynamic than Archaeopteryx, and was almost certainly incapable of flight. The most striking feature of this tiny "dino-bird" was the spray of feathers shooting out from its tail, which clearly had an ornamental function. "Feathers are not a characteristic [just] of birds but of all dinosaurs." Previously, it was suggested 2 that flying creatures called pterosaurs extinct distant relatives of birds and dinosaurs also had feathers, but that idea was For all intents and purposes, Saurornithoides was the central Asian version of the easier-to-pronounce North American Troodon, a human-sized, bipedal predator that chased small birds and lizards across the dusty plains (and that may also have been smarter than the average dinosaur, judging by its larger-than-average brain). Name: Talos (after the figure from Greek myth); pronounced TAY-loss, Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (80-75 million years ago), Size and Weight: About six feet long and 75-100 pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Moderate size; long talons on hind feet. The small, feathered "dino-birds" dug up in China's Liaoning fossil beds have proved an endless source of confusio. Most of the fossils were juveniles, which suggests that they died in single events, not in a mass catastrophe, according to Godefroit. Here's how to prepare. Name: Albertonykus (Greek for "Alberta claw"); pronounced al-BERT-oh-NYE-cuss, Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (70 million years ago), Size and Weight: About 2 1/2 feet long and a few pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; claws on hands; probably feathers. You can find out more about our use, change your default settings, and withdraw your consent at any time with effect for the future by visiting Cookies Settings, which can also be found in the footer of the site. Name: Velocisaurus (Greek for "swift lizard"); pronounced veh-LOSS-ih-SORE-us, Size and Weight: About four feet long and 10-15 pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; bipedal posture; possibly feathers. Some species of dinosaurs, such as the dromaeosaur, have fossil records of their feathers. What places Avimimus firmly in the dinosaur category is the primitive teeth in its upper jaw, as well as its similarities to other, less bird-like oviraptors of the Cretaceous period (including the poster genus for the group, Oviraptor). WebHad very sparse feathers as an adult, if they had them at all, which is not guaranteed: Tyrannosaurus, Carnotaurus, possibly other abelisaurids, sauropods, ornithischians. The name Bonapartenykus isn't a reference to the French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte, but rather the famous Argentinean paleontologist Jose F. Bonaparte, who has named many feathered dinosaurs over the past few decades. Please be respectful of copyright. It sounds like a painful disease, or at least a bothersome head cold, but this was actually an early feathered dinosaur closely related to the more famous (and much later) Troodon. In 1996, the first feathered dinosaur was unearthed from early Cretaceous deposits in Theyre pollinators, pest controllers and transporters of seeds. Feathered Dinosaur Pictures and Profiles. The outlines of this theropod are so sharply preserved, and the Sciurumimus juvenile has such big, adorable eyes, that the type fossil almost looks like a still image from an animated TV show. So far, this genus is known only by the fossil of a single juvenile; future discoveries may shed further light on its appearance and behavior. More often than not, paleontologists can infer a dinosaur's behavior from its anatomy. Was Epidexipteryx a bird or a dinosaur? Now, researchers have announced the discovery of an Archaeopteryx contemporary that's important for two reasons: first, the juvenile specimen of Sciurumimus has been preserved in sharp anatomical detail, and second, this feathered dinosaur occupied a different branch of the family tree than "normal" feathered dinos like Velociraptor or Therizinosaurus. Why are so many dead whales washing up on the East Coast? Sinosauropteryx might be even more famous today if it hadn't been quickly superseded by numerous other Liaoning dino-birds, such as Sinornithosaurus and Incisivosaurus. Wildfire smoke affects birds too. When it was first discovered, paleontologists examining the tooth structure of Sinornithosaurus speculated that this feathered dinosaur may have been poisonous. Well, like the numerous other feathered theropods that prowled central Asia during the late Cretaceous period, this two-legged "dino-bird" spent its days feasting on small lizards, insects, and any other pint-sized theropods unfortunate enough to venture in its immediate vicinity. Name: Conchoraptor (Greek for "conch thief"); pronounced CON-coe-rap-tore, Size and Weight: About five feet long and 20 pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; well-muscled jaws. A newly discovered, nearly complete fossilized skeleton hints that all dinosaurs may have sported feathers. The problem is that all of the other feathered dinosaurs identified to date have been "coelurosaurs," a truly enormous family that encompasses raptors, tyrannosaurs, and the small, feathered "dino-birds" of the late Cretaceous period. As with most tiny theropods, Chirostenotes is believed to have sported feathers, and it may have represented an intermediate link between dinosaurs and birds. As is the case with many dinosaurs, the scattered fossils of Albertonykus (which were unearthed in a Canadian quarry along with numerous Albertosaurus specimens) languished in museum drawers for years before professionals got around to classifying them. The dinosaur's name essentially means "Kulinda River running dinosaur." Technically, Sciurumimus ("squirrel mimic") has been classified as a "megalosaur" theropod, that is, a carnivorous dinosaur most closely related to the primitive Megalosaurus. When its intact fossil (complete with the impressions of feathers) was discovered a few years ago in China, Jinfengopteryx was initially identified as a prehistoric bird, and then as an early avian pioneer comparable to Archaeopteryx; only later did paleontologists notice some marked similarities with the troodont theropods (a family of feathered dinosaurs epitomized by Troodon). ", Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Elopteryx certainly has a Gothic provenance--its "type fossil" was discovered at some indeterminate point around the turn of the 20th century by a Romanian paleontologist, and later wound up in the British Museum of Natural History--but beyond that, very little is known about this dinosaur, which is considered a nomen dubium by most authorities. However you choose to spell it, Richardoestesia remains a poorly understood dinosaur, sometimes classified as a troodont (and hence closely related to Troodon) and sometimes classified as a raptor. Ambopteryx Ambopteryx is a genus of feathered dinosaurs that lived during the Late Jurassic period. Name: Ingenia ("from Ingen"); pronounced IN-jeh-NEE-ah, Size and Weight: About five feet long and 50 pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; short arms with long fingers; bipedal posture; feathers, Ingenia wasn't any more ingenious than the other dinosaurs of its time and place; its name derives from the Ingen region of central Asia, where it was discovered in the mid-1970's. The latest genus to ruffle the feathers of paleontologists is Anchiornis, a tiny dinosaur (not a bird) with unusually long front arms and feathers on its front limbs, hind limbs, and feet. Name: Chirostenotes (Greek for "narrow hand"); pronounced KIE-ro-STEN-oh-tease, Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (80 million years ago), Size and Weight: About seven feet long and 50-75 pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Narrow, clawed fingers on hands; toothless jaws. https://www.thoughtco.com/feathered-dinosaur-pictures-and-profile-4049097 (accessed June 27, 2023). That didn't stop paleontologist William J. Currie from identifying a second Elmisaurus species, E. elegans, from a set of bones previously attributed to Ornithomimus; however, the weight of opinion is that this was really a species (or specimen) of Chirostenotes. It likely hunted small dinosaurs on land but could also hold its own with larger predators when they fought over a discarded hunt. When it was first discovered, Philovenator was classified as a juvenile specimen of the better-known Saurornithoides, then as a close cousin of Linhevenator, and was finally granted its own genus (its species name, curriei, honors the globetrotting paleontologist Philip J. Currie). The shape of these teeth, and Byronosaurus' long snout, are a hint that this dinosaur subsisted mostly on Mesozoic mammals and prehistoric birds, though it may occasionally have gobbled up one of its fellow theropods. As a rule, oviraptors--bipedal, feathered dinosaurs typified by (you guessed it) Oviraptor--are much better attested in eastern Asia than they are in North America. Known from a single specimen--which was discovered in a curled-up posture, either because it was sleeping or because it was huddling to protect itself from the elements--Sinornithoides was a small, agile, feathered theropod that resembled a (much) smaller version of the more famous Troodon. What makes Khaan special are the completeness of its fossil remains and its unusually blunt skull, which appears to be more "primitive," or basal, than those of its oviraptor cousins. Heres how you can help. Name: Sinovenator (Greek for "Chinese hunter"); pronounced SIGH-no-VEN-ate-or, Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; long legs; feathers. As with other small theropods, this dinosaurs arm and tail feathers likely evolved as a way of attracting mates, and may (secondarily) have given it some "lift" if it had to make a sudden, running leap away from larger predators. One of the most complete troodont fossils ever found, Linhevenator may have made its living by digging into the ground for prey, and may even have been capable of climbing trees! In evolutionary terms, Chirostenotes was closely related to a similar Asian theropod, Oviraptor, demonstrating how widespread these meat-eaters were during the late Cretaceous period. All feathered species had filamentaceous or plumaceous (downy) feathers, with pennaceous feathers found among the more bird-like groups. (Related: "Dinosaur-Era Fossil Shows Birds' Feathers Evolved Before Flight."). Feathered dinosaurs (sometimes referred to as "dino-birds") were an important intermediate stage between the small meat-eating theropods of the Jurassic and Triassic periods and the birds we all know and love today. Judging by the single fossil specimen found so far, this feathered theropod appears to have been well-adapted to pursuing and eating a wide variety of small prey, ranging from insects to lizards to (possibly) other small dinosaurs of the early Cretaceous period. Xixianykus is also one of the oldest alvarezsaurs yet discovered, a hint that these feathered dinosaurs may have originated in Asia and then spread west. See 10 Facts About Archaeopteryx, Name: Aristosuchus (Greek for "noble crocodile"); pronounced AH-riss-toe-SOO-kuss, Historical Period: Early Cretaceous (125 million years ago), Size and Weight: About six feet long and 50 pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Small size; bipedal posture. If Parvicursor were better represented in the fossil record, it might take the prize as the smallest dinosaur that ever lived. There are some tantalizing hints that Mirischia's oddly shaped pelvis harbored an air sac, yet more support for the evolutionary line connecting the small theropods of the late Mesozoic Era and modern birds. Name: Anzu (after a demon in Mesopotamian mythology); pronounced AHN-zoo, Historical Period: Late Cretaceous (70-65 million years ago), Size and Weight: About 11 feet long and 500 pounds, Distinguishing Characteristics: Bipedal posture; feathers; crest on head. These trailed out behind the body and may have helped this relatively large gliding dinosaur land smoothly. "Probably that means the common ancestor of all dinosaurs had feathers," says study lead author Pascal Godefroit of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Science in Brussels. (In fact, it wouldn't be too far off the mark to describe Yi Qi as a cross between a dinosaur, a pterosaur, a bird and a bat!) Discovered in Utah in 2008, and named three years later, Talos was a nimble, feathered, child-sized theropod equipped with oversized talons on each of its hind feet. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/feathered-dinosaur-pictures-and-profile-4049097. Name: Zanabazar (after a Buddhist spiritual leader); pronounced ZAH-nah-bah-ZAR, Distinguishing Characteristics: Relatively large size; bipedal posture; probably feathers. Sounds a bit like a raptor, doesn't it? Its closest relatives were probably the (much bigger) Gigantoraptor and the (much smaller) Yulong. Later pterosaurs had longer limbs, making them better adapted for hunting on land. WebHow do we know that dinosaurs had feathers? One of the numerous genera of dino-birds dug up in China's Liaoning Quarry, Sinovenator was most closely related to Troodon (hailed by some experts as the smartest dinosaur that ever lived). Judging by its squat, muscular jaws, paleontologists speculate that the five-foot-long, twenty-pound Conchoraptor made its living by cracking the shells of ancient mollusks (including conchs) and feasting on the soft internal organs within. Velocisaurus was discovered in 1985 in the Patagonia region of Argentina, and named six years later by the famous paleontologist Jose F. Bonaparte. Notably, oviraptors are known for their feathers, bird-like skulls and omnivorous diet. Paleontologists are still trying to sort out the bewildering number of small, feathered theropods that prowled the deserts and plains of late Cretaceous central Asia (e.g., present-day Mongolia). On the following slides, you'll find pictures and detailed profiles of 75 feathered dinosaurs, ranging from A (Albertonykus) to Z (Zuolong). Scientists now think that most dinosaurs had feathers. [94] [27] [95] These have been interpreted as insulation and therefore evidence of warm-bloodedness. It's as yet unknown whether or not Aorun was covered with feathers, or how large the full-grown adults were (the "type specimen" is of a year-old juvenile). See an in-depth profile of Sinocalliopteryx, Name: Sinornithoides (Greek for "Chinese bird form"); pronounced SIGH-nor-nih-THOY-deez, Distinguishing Characteristics: Feathers; long tail; sharp teeth. 1. Ceratonykus is one of the latest examples of an alvarezsaur, a mysterious branch of relatively small, bird-like, theropod dinosaurs (closely related to raptors) that sported feathers, bipedal stances, and long legs with correspondingly small arms. One of the more recent Oviraptor-like dinosaurs to be discovered in Central Asia, Heyuannnia differs from its Mongolian relatives in having actually been unearthed in China proper. In addition to its feathers, Kulindadromeus also had scales, notably arched ones that appeared in rows on its long tail. It turned out, though, that they were interpreting the fossil evidence incorrectly. WebBut while a young T. rex probably had a thin coat of downy feathers, an adult T. rex would not have needed feathers to stay warm. What we do know is that the type fossil of Parvicusor measures barely a foot from head to tail, and that this theropod couldn't have weighed more than a third of a pound soaking wet! The cat-sized dino had fierce talons, feathered wings, and a long, whip-like tail with feathered plumes at the end. This small, probably feathered theropod of late Cretaceous Asia, which appears to have been closely related to the much more famous Troodon, was christened after the borogoves in Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem Jabberwocky ("all mimsy were the borogoves") Since Borogovia was "diagnosed" based on a single fossilized limb, it's possible that it may eventually be reassigned as a species (or individual) of a different dinosaur genus. One of the few early theropods to be discovered in sub-Saharan Africa, Nqwebasaurus is known from a single, incomplete skeleton, probably a juvenile. With a wingspan like a fighter jet at over 40 feet across, Quetzalcoatlus was the largest pterosaur ever to live. One piece of evidence in favor of this hypothesis is that Scansoripteryx possessed elongated third fingers, whereas most theropod dinosaurs have elongated second fingers; the feet of this putative dinosaur may also have been adapted for perching on tree branches. Nomingia took its birdlike attributes one step further: this is the first dinosaur ever discovered to have sported a pygostyle, that is, a fused structure on the end of its tail that supported a fan of feathers. Its shins had "ribbon-shaped" feathers of a type never seen before. If true (and the argument is far from conclusive), this may shake up the widely accepted theory that birds descended from ground-dwelling dinosaurs! It's unclear whether Yi Qi was capable of powered flight--perhaps it glided on its wings like a Jurassic flying squirrel--but if it was, it represents another dinosaur that took to the air well before the putative "first bird," Archaeopteryx, which appeared ten million years later. Small, feathered dinosaurs were thick on the ground in late Cretaceous central Asia, especially in the stretch of territory now occupied by the Gobi Desert. Not to be confused with Velociraptor--which lived halfway around the world, in central Asia--Velocisaurus was a small, mysterious, presumably meat-eating dinosaur that's represented in the fossil record by a single, incomplete leg and foot. Name: Sciurumimus (Greek for "squirrel mimic"); pronounced skee-ORE-oo-MY-muss, Size and Weight: About two feet long and 5-10 pounds, Diet: Insects (when young), meat (when older), Distinguishing Characteristics: Large eyes; bipedal posture; feathers. By 162 For the past 25 years or so, paleontologists have driven themselves crazy trying to figure out where the dinosaur evolutionary tree ends and the bird evolutionary tree begins. Name: Pedopenna (Greek for "feathered foot"); pronounced PED-oh-PEN-ah, Distinguishing Characteristics: Long legs; long claws on hands; feathers.
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