Name:
Habitat:
Historical Period:
Size and Weight:
Diet:
Distinguishing Characteristics:
About Sinornithosaurus:
Of all the dino-bird fossils discovered in the Liaoning Quarry in China, Sinornithosaurus may be the most famous, because it's the most complete: its perfectly preserved skeleton shows evidence not only of feathers, but of different kinds of feathers on different parts of its body. The feathers on this small theropod's head were short and hairlike, but the ones on its arms and tail were long and distinctively birdy, with feathers of intermediate length along its back.
Technically, Sinornithosaurus is classified as a dromaeosaur (raptor to you and me), based on the oversized, sickle-shaped single claws on each of its feet. However, it bears more of a resemblance to other dino-birds (like Archaeopteryx and Incisivosaurus) than to famous raptors like Deinonychus or Velociraptor.
The latest news about Sinornithosaurus (as of December 2009) is that it may well have been a venomous dinosaur, as evidenced by fossilized pouches found connected by ducts to its snake-like fangs. Based on the anatomy of modern animals, it would be surprising if these sacs weren't exactly what they appear to be--repositories of venom that this dino-bird used to immobilize its prey.
