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Microraptorine
Microraptoria (Greek, μίκρος, ''mīkros'': "small"; Latin, ''raptor'': "one who seizes") is a clade of basal Dromaeosauridae, dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs. The first microraptorians appeared 125 million years ago in China. Many are known for long feathers on their legs and may have been semiarboreal powered fliers, some of which were even capable of launching from the ground.. Most microraptorians were relatively small; adult specimens of ''Microraptor'' range between ) and weigh up to , making them some of the Dinosaur size, smallest known nonavialan dinosaurs.Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2011) ''Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages,'Winter 2010 Appendix./ref> Description Microraptorians were a group of basal Dromaeosauridae, dromaeosaurids (popularly known as "raptors") with slender proportions and long limbs. With the exception of ''Hesperonychus'' from the late Cretaceous of North America, all microraptorians have been found ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hesperonychus
''Hesperonychus'' (meaning "western claw") was a small, carnivorous dinosaur. It was a member of the family Dromaeosauridae, along with its larger relatives ''Deinonychus'' and ''Velociraptor''. There is one described species, ''Hesperonychus elizabethae''. The type species was named in honor of Dr. Elizabeth Nicholls of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology who collected it as a student in 1982. It is known from fossils recovered from the lowermost strata of the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta, dating to the late Cretaceous (Campanian stage) about 76.5 million years ago. Though known from partial remains, researchers have estimated that it was a small dinosaur measuring about long and weighing between , making it the smallest carnivorous non-avian dinosaur known from North America. Description ''Hesperonychus'' is known from one partial pelvic girdle, holotype specimen UALVP 48778, collected by Dr. Elizabeth Nicholls in Dinosaur Provincial Park in 1982. The fossi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
