New Specimens of Microraptor zhaoianus (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from Northeastern China

Hwang, Sunny H.; Norell, Mark A.; Ji, Qiang; Gao, Ke‐Qin

doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2002)381<0001:nsomzt>2.0.co;2

Cited by 158 publications

(299 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Thus, a conservative estimate of the caudal count is 22. This is fewer than estimates for other Jehol dromaeosaurids (for example, 28 in Tianyuraptor ostromi, 25-26 in Microraptor zhaoianus) 17 . The length of the caudal vertebrae increases through the first preserved four vertebrae.…”

Section: Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 66%

“…This does not affect the ingroup topology of Dromaeosauridae, but it greatly reduces the number of most parsimonious trees. Characters 16,17,18,27,40,68,76,110,113,125,132,157,169,174,198,200,235,265,266,269,272,284,292,314,321,324,326,331,333,356,364,369,384,390,392,398,402,406,414,418,420,422,425,430,431,432,433,438,448 and 450 present potentially nested sets of homologies and/or entail presence and absence information. These characters were set as additive.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The tail is stiffened by long prezygapophyseal and haemal arch bundles characteristic of most dromaeosaurids 12,[15][16][17][18][19] (Fig. 3).…”

Section: Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

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A new raptorial dinosaur with exceptionally long feathering provides insights into dromaeosaurid flight performance

et al. 2014

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Microraptorines are a group of predatory dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs with aerodynamic capacity. These close relatives of birds are essential for testing hypotheses explaining the origin and early evolution of avian flight. Here we describe a new 'four-winged' microraptorine, Changyuraptor yangi, from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota of China. With tail feathers that are nearly 30 cm long, roughly 30% the length of the skeleton, the new fossil possesses the longest known feathers for any non-avian dinosaur. Furthermore, it is the largest theropod with long, pennaceous feathers attached to the lower hind limbs (that is, 'hindwings'). The lengthy feathered tail of the new fossil provides insight into the flight performance of microraptorines and how they may have maintained aerial competency at larger body sizes. We demonstrate how the low-aspect-ratio tail of the new fossil would have acted as a pitch control structure reducing descent speed and thus playing a key role in landing.

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Section: Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 66%

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A new raptorial dinosaur with exceptionally long feathering provides insights into dromaeosaurid flight performance

et al. 2014

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“…Both the mesial and distal carinae bear fine serrations, the former significantly smaller than the latter as in many dromaeosaurids (Currie 1995;Xu 2002). The cervical vertebrae are about the same length as the dorsal vertebrae and thus differ from the proportionally longer cervicals in other Liaoning dromaeosaurids (Hwang et al 2002;Xu 2002). The posterior margin of the neural arches of the anterior cervicals appear to be located considerably posterior to the posterior margin of the centra.…”

Section: Systematic Palaeontologymentioning

confidence: 80%

A short-armed dromaeosaurid from the Jehol Group of China with implications for early dromaeosaurid evolution

Zheng¹,

You

et al. 2009

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Recent discoveries of basal dromaeosaurids from the Early Cretaceous Jiufotang and Yixian formations of Liaoning, China, add significant new information about the transition from non-avian dinosaurs to avians. Here we report on a new dromaeosaurid, Tianyuraptor ostromi gen. et sp. nov., from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning, China, based on a nearly complete skeleton. Tianyuraptor possesses several features only seen in other Liaoning dromaeosaurids, although to a less developed degree, and it also exhibits features unknown in Laurasian dromaeosaurids but present in the Gondwanan dromaeosaurids and basal avialans, thus reducing the morphological gap between these groups. Tianyuraptor possesses a comparatively small furcula and proportionally short forelimbs. This lies in stark contrast to the possible capacity for flight in the microraptorines, which have proportionally long and robust forelimbs and large furculae. The presence of such striking differences between the Early Cretaceous Jehol dromaeosaurids reveals a great diversity in morphology, locomotion and ecology early in dromaeosaurid evolution.

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“…As the specimen described by Li et al 18 has already been rendered in 3D 18 , our model Microraptor has the proportions and wing outline of this specimen but was scaled up to fit comfortably into the working section of the University of Southampton (Engineering and the Environment) 2.1 m Â 1.5 m wind tunnel. Owing to the known size range of specimens referred to as Microraptor 4,18,23,36 , an animal with proportions corresponding to our model existed in the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Aerodynamic performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor and the evolution of feathered flight

et al. 2013

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Understanding the aerodynamic performance of feathered, non-avialan dinosaurs is critical to reconstructing the evolution of bird flight. Here we show that the Early Cretaceous five-winged paravian Microraptor is most stable when gliding at high-lift coefficients (low lift/ drag ratios). Wind tunnel experiments and flight simulations show that sustaining a high-lift coefficient at the expense of high drag would have been the most efficient strategy for Microraptor when gliding from, and between, low elevations. Analyses also demonstrate that anatomically plausible changes in wing configuration and leg position would have made little difference to aerodynamic performance. Significant to the evolution of flight, we show that Microraptor did not require a sophisticated, 'modern' wing morphology to undertake effective glides. This is congruent with the fossil record and also with the hypothesis that symmetric 'flight' feathers first evolved in dinosaurs for non-aerodynamic functions, later being adapted to form lifting surfaces.

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New Specimens of Microraptor zhaoianus (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from Northeastern China

Cited by 158 publications

References 14 publications

A new raptorial dinosaur with exceptionally long feathering provides insights into dromaeosaurid flight performance

A new raptorial dinosaur with exceptionally long feathering provides insights into dromaeosaurid flight performance

A short-armed dromaeosaurid from the Jehol Group of China with implications for early dromaeosaurid evolution

Aerodynamic performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor and the evolution of feathered flight

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