Sinosauropteryx

Sinosauropteryx made palaeontological history when its discovery was announced in 1996, providing the first incontrovertible proof of filamentous protofeathers outside of avians. Found in the exquisitely preserved volcanic ash deposits of the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China, this small compsognathid grew to around one metre in length, more than half of which was occupied by an extraordinarily long tail. In 2010, microscopic analysis of melanosomes preserved in its plumage revealed that it had a ginger-red and white striped tail alongside a dark bandit-like mask around its eyes, indicative of open-habitat camouflage. Sinosauropteryx was a swift bipedal predator; fossilised stomach contents show it consumed small lizards and primitive mammals. Its magnificent preservation permanently reshaped our understanding of dinosaur integument and confirmed the deep ancestry of feathers.

Sinosauropteryx was the first non-avian dinosaur discovered with fossilised protofeathers and the first whose feather colours were scientifically determined.

Where and when

Sinosauropteryx lived in the Early Cretaceous, from 124 to 122 million years ago (Aptian age). Its remains come from China, in the Yixian Formation.

The numbers

Length 1 m (estimates run from 0.9 to 1.1 m). Mass about 0.71 kg. Hip height about 0.3 m. That is 0.6 human-lengths, or 0.09 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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