Microraptor (meaning “small thief”) was an Early Cretaceous dinosaur. It was one of the smaller and lightly-built theropods of the Mesozoic time period. It seemed to have four wing-like limbs, and was covered in plumage, possibly iridescent (like that of a modern peacock). The first pair were actually its arms, and the second its legs. It was closely related to dromaeosaurid dinosaurs such as Velociraptor and Deinonychus. It lived in dense forests of early Cretaceous China, feeding off grubs, insects, fish, and small reptiles it would find on trees, and on the ground. Despite its looks, it was not a bird, but instead was probably closely related to the birds' ancestors.
One of the most bizarre dinosaurs ever, microraptors were tiny dinosaurs, one of the smallest ever known, with four wings. Microraptor is only known in one remote corner of China, a place of mysterious dinosaurs and deadly volcanoes. Forests were a good place for these dinosaurs: even though they had feathers, it is thought these dinosaurs couldn't fly like modern birds, they could only glide like flying squirrels. But, at least one person has suggested "Velociraptors on air", as in, flying dromaeosaurs.
Inaccuracies[]
- Microraptor is now known to have been black in color, thanks to fossilized melanosomes.
In The Walking With... Series[]
The Complete Guide To Prehistoric Life[]
Microraptor is mentioned in the Ornitholestes entry.
Walking with Dinosaurs: Inside Their World[]
Microraptor is one of the viewable dinosaurs in the app.
Gallery[]
Appearances in other media[]
Prehistoric Park[]
Read more at the Prehistoric Park Wiki
Microraptor made a debut in the third episode where it became the main subject for the park. They proved to be difficult to capture for Nigel Marven at first(even making Nigel plan a second trip to be more prepared), but Nigel eventually did catch a couple of Microraptors, this time with a net gun. They now reside in an exhibit that hasn't been shown on screen much (the Microraptors don't even return in other episodes either).
Trivia[]
- Microraptor is one of the most bird-like of all dinosaurs discovered thus far. In fact, some scientists believe it to be so bird-like, that they consider it to be closer to modern birds, evolutionarily-speaking, than Archaeopteryx, which is believed to be one of the very first true birds, actually is.
- Microraptor was the first dromaeosaurid ever to be discovered in the 21st Century, as it was first uncovered, described, and named, by palaeontologists, in the year 2000.
- Before the discovery of Microraptor, Compsognathus held the title as the world's smallest dinosaur. Though Microraptor has also lost the title to even smaller dinosaurs, such as Epidexipteryx.
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