Microraptor

Microraptor
Microraptor, Xu,Zhou & Wang, 2000

number on the map: 40

Superorder: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia

It was a small theropod that lived in the area of today’s China in the early Cretaceous. There are three Microraptor species: M. zhaoianus, M. gui and M. hanqingi. They belong to the same family as the Deinonychus and like the latter, they were feathered. Microraptor gui had asymmetric feathers on both the top and bottom limbs, which could mean that it was capable of active flight. It is likely that the flight wasn’t very advanced; rather something between gliding and flying as we know it from today’s birds.

Microscope examination has shown that Microraptor’s feathers were black, like in today’s starlings (possibly also giving blue reflections).

body length: 0,8 m
body mass: 1 kg
temporal range: 125–122 mya