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About Microraptor:
Probably because it was so small, Microraptor fossilized unusually well--paleontologists in China have unearthed about two dozen more-or-less complete specimens, complete with traces of internal organs and primitive feathers.
The most spectacular fact about Microraptor is that it had not one, but two, sets of primitive wings--one on its forearms (similar to other birdlike dinosaurs, like Archaeopteryx), and one on its hind legs. Despite this feathered arsenal, scientists believe Microraptor was, at best, an occasional glider, much like a flying squirrel.
This leads to the question: was Microraptor a crucial link in the gradual evolution of dinosaurs into birds, or did it represent a four-winged experiment that (literally) never quite got off the ground? The answer may await future fossil discoveries.
