Name:
Sinosauropteryx (Greek for "Chinese lizard wing"); pronounced SIGH-no-sore-OP-ter-ix
Habitat:
Woodlands of Asia
Historical Period:
Early Cretaceous (130-125 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 4 feet long; weight unknown
Diet:
Probably omnivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Narrow head; long legs and tail; feathers
About Sinosauropteryx:
Sinosauropteryx was the first of a series of spectacular fossil discoveries at the Liaoning Quarry in China. In 1996, these were the first dinosaur remains to bear the unmistakable (if somewhat faint) imprint of primitive feathers, proving (as many paleontologists had speculated) that at least some small theropods looked uncannily like birds.
Sinosauropteryx might be even more famous today if it hadn't been quickly superseded by numerous other Liaoning dino-birds, such as Sinornithosaurus and Incisivosaurus. Clearly, during the early Cretaceous period, this region of China was a hotbed of small, birdlike theropods, all of which shared the same territory.
