Zhongjianosaurus
"Zhongjian's lizard"
Type species Zhongjianosaurus yangi
- Lived
- 121 to 113 million years ago, Early Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Dromaeosauridae
- Found in
- China
- Named by
- Xu and Qin 2017
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
115 million years ago
Habitat
Lakes bordered its landscape in northeastern China. Microraptor and Psittacosaurus are among the dinosaurs recorded from the same regional rocks.
Field notes
About Zhongjianosaurus
What it was like
Zhongjianosaurus was one of the smallest raptors known, a feathered relative of Microraptor. It was tiny and lightly built.
Its world
It lived in the Early Cretaceous in what is now northeastern China. Its skeleton comes from rocks that also produced Microraptor and the beaked Psittacosaurus.
How it was found
Xu and Qin named Zhongjianosaurus in 2017, from a single find.
Field gallery
More views of Zhongjianosaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 2
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Zhongjianosaurus.
The evidence
The science behind Zhongjianosaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A partial skeleton preserves the arms, legs, ribs and a long tail stiffened by slender bony rods.
- Fused bones show that this tiny animal was an adult.
- Long bony hooks attach to the ribs, and the forearm is slightly longer than the upper arm.
Borrowed from relatives
- The missing head is restored by comparison with Microraptor and other small raptors.
- A feathered covering and long limb feathers follow its close relative Microraptor.
Still unknown
- Its feather colors and the exact arrangement of its plumage.
- Whether it could glide or fly.
- What prey it ate.
Discovery timeline
- 2003Close relativeXu et al.
- 2013Close relativeDyke et al.
- 2017Named itXu & Qin
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Zhongjianosaurus
Close relative
Microraptor had long feathers on its arms and legs, a guide to restoring the covering of its close relatives.
Four-winged dinosaurs from China. Nature 421: 335-340
Read the paper : Four-winged dinosaurs from China (opens in a new tab)Close relative
Wind tunnel tests showed how Microraptor could glide efficiently, providing a comparison for other small feathered raptors.
Aerodynamic performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor and the evolution of feathered flight. Nature Communications 4
Read the paper : Aerodynamic performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor and the evolution of feathered flight (opens in a new tab)Named it
Described a tiny adult raptor with unusual arm and rib bones, adding to the variety of small hunters in China.
A new tiny dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Jehol Group of western Liaoning and niche differentiation among the Jehol dromaeosaurids. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 55: 129-144
No link available
Close relatives
Other members of Dromaeosauridae
Sources: Wikidata