Join our zoo community
Chlidonias

Microraptor gui

[i]Microraptor[/i] was the first genus of four-winged dinosaurs to be discovered. They were also the smallest dinosaurs, at only 40cm long. From their fossils they appear to have been extremely abundant. There is a good Wikipedia article on the genus which is very interesting. In this fossil the long feathers on the four limbs are very evident. For those interested in palaeontology, the Palaeozoological Museum Of China is absolutely outstanding. The museum is on three floors, the lower one for dinosaurs including several fully-mounted skeletons (the displays are a mix of real fossils and casts) and fossil fish, the next floor for more dinosaurs and birds, and the third for mammals. Really fascinating fossils here, although unfortunately all the signage is in Chinese apart for the scientific names. Visited September 2013.

Microraptor gui
Chlidonias, 28 May 2015
    • Chlidonias
      Microraptor was the first genus of four-winged dinosaurs to be discovered. They were also the smallest dinosaurs, at only 40cm long. From their fossils they appear to have been extremely abundant. There is a good Wikipedia article on the genus which is very interesting.

      In this fossil the long feathers on the four limbs are very evident.

      For those interested in palaeontology, the Palaeozoological Museum Of China is absolutely outstanding. The museum is on three floors, the lower one for dinosaurs including several fully-mounted skeletons (the displays are a mix of real fossils and casts) and fossil fish, the next floor for more dinosaurs and birds, and the third for mammals. Really fascinating fossils here, although unfortunately all the signage is in Chinese apart for the scientific names.

      Visited September 2013.
    • TeaLovingDave
      Science marches on! A fair few non-avian dinosaurs are now known to have been even smaller - and Microraptor is now known to have spanned a larger size range than thought, reaching 110cm in some species. The smallest non-avian dinosaurs currently known from good adult remains are Eosinopteryx brevipenna at 30cm, and Epidexipteryx hui at 25cm. The latter belonged to a damn weird branch of avialan dinosaurs which possessed both feathers and wings akin to that of a bat!

      The smallest dinosaur known, of course, is the extant Bee Hummingbird (Mellisuga helenae) at only 5cm.
    There are no comments to display.
  • Category:
    The Paleozoological Museum of China
    Uploaded By:
    Chlidonias
    Date:
    28 May 2015
    View Count:
    1,135
    Comment Count:
    2