Microraptor

Microraptor was a tiny, arboreal dromaeosaurid theropod preserved in extraordinary detail within the Early Cretaceous deposits of Liaoning, China. About the length of a crow, it is famous for possessing long aerodynamic flight feathers on both its forearms and its lower hind legs, forming an effective four-winged gliding apparatus. Preserved melanosomes show that its plumage shone with an iridescent black sheen. Exceptional fossil specimens have preserved gut contents, revealing a varied carnivorous diet consisting of small mammals, arboreal birds, lizards, and fish. While debate continues regarding whether it was capable of powered flapping flight or primarily glided between trees, its anatomy firmly established that miniature body sizes and aerial adaptations arose repeatedly within non-avian paravian dinosaurs. It represents one of the most abundantly fossilised theropod dinosaurs known.

Fossilised melanosomes reveal its extensive four-winged plumage had an iridescent, glossy black sheen similar to a modern raven.

Where and when

Microraptor lived in the Early Cretaceous, from 125 to 120 million years ago (Aptian age). Its remains come from China, in the Jiufotang Formation.

The numbers

Length 0.9 m (estimates run from 0.7 to 1 m). Mass about 1.2 kg. Hip height about 0.2 m. That is 0.5 human-lengths, or 0.08 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from near-complete skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

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