Sinornithosaurus
Sinornithosaurus millenii
Pronounced:
sign-Or-nith-o-Saw-rus
Diet:
Carnivore
(meat-eater)
Name Means:
"Chinese
Bird-Lizard"
Length:
3 ft.(1
meter)
Height:
18 inches
(50 cm)
Weight:
20 pounds (9
kilos)
Time:
Early
Cretaceous -
128 MYA
Fossil remains for this Dinosaur have been found in Asia
Sinornithosaurus was a feathered raptor that lived in China. This is a very important fossil because it clearly shows the feathers on this member of the family that includes Velociraptor and Dromaeosaurus. It was a small, quick, and agile hunter that probably ate small dinosaurs, lizards, and reptiles. It did not have wings and its feathers were probably used for keeping it warm, for showing off, or to help identify it to its friends.
Sinornthosaurus
shows a number
of very
bird-like
features; its
shoulder is
designed so that
it can be moved
in the same way
that a bird
flaps its wings
and a number of
pelvic features
are similar to
those found in
birds. The
feather-like
filaments seem
to cover the
entire body of
the animal.
Since this is a
basal member of
the
dromaeosauridae,
it has caused a
re-evaluation of
the evolutionary
process of later
dromaeosaurids. |
