Outline: a typical theropod
Xiaotingia
Type species Xiaotingia zhengi
- Lived
- 168 to 152 million years ago, Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Troodontidae
- Found in
- China
- Named by
- Xu et al. 2011
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
160 million years ago
Field notes
About Xiaotingia
What it was like
Xiaotingia was a small feathered theropod, about the size of a chicken, related to Anchiornis. It had long arms and long feathers. When it was named, it was thought to be close to the first birds, but its position is still debated.
Its world
It lived in the Jurassic, in what is now China. It comes from the same fossil beds as the feathered Anchiornis, the bat-winged Yi and the fuzzy plant eater Tianyulong.
How it was found
Xu and colleagues named Xiaotingia in 2011. The type species is Xiaotingia zhengi.
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
Close relatives
Other members of Troodontidae
Sources: WikidataNamed in: X. Xu, H. You, and K. Du, F. Han. 2011. An Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China and the origin of Avialae. Nature 475:465-470