Caudipteryx
Sign in to saveCaudipteryx (meaning "tail feather") is a genus of small oviraptorosaurian dinosaurs that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous, around 124.6 million years ago. They were feathered and extremely bird-like in their overall appearance, to the point that some paleontologists suggested it was a bird. Two species have been described: C. zoui (the type species), in 1998, and C. dongi, in 2000. Caudipteryx had a stout trunk, long legs, and was probably a swift runner. Its discovery has led to many intensive studies and debate over the relationship between birds and dinosaurs.
~9 min read
Encyclopedic overview
15 sectionsContents
- History
- Additional specimens
- Description
- Size
- Skull
- Postcranial skeleton
- Feathers
- Classification
- Relationship with birds
- Paleobiology
- Diet
- Paleoenvironment
- See also
- References
- External links
Caudipteryx (meaning "tail feather") is a genus of small oviraptorosaurian dinosaurs that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous, around 124.6 million years ago. They were feathered and extremely bird-like in their overall appearance, to the point that some paleontologists suggested it was a bird. Two species have been described: C. zoui (the type species), in 1998, and C. dongi, in 2000. Caudipteryx had a stout trunk, long legs, and was probably a swift runner. Its discovery has led to many intensive studies and debate over the relationship between birds and dinosaurs.
==History==
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Caudipteryx” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.