Microraptor

What it was like

Microraptor was a tiny, feathered dinosaur, one of the smallest non-bird dinosaurs known, growing to about 0.8 meters (3 feet) long including its long tail. Long feathers grew not just on its arms but also on its legs, giving it four wing-like surfaces.

Researchers think Microraptor probably glided from tree to tree using all four limbs, and some studies suggest it may even have been capable of powered flight. Its build was light and its claws were curved and sharp, suited for climbing as well as catching small prey.

Its world

Microraptor lived from about 121 to 113 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous, in what is now China. Its fossils come from the Jiufotang Formation.

It shared its world with small plant eaters such as Psittacosaurus and other feathered dinosaurs, including Similicaudipteryx and Wulong. Thick forests and lakes covered the region, giving a small, tree-climbing hunter like Microraptor plenty of cover and places to perch.

How it was found

Xu and colleagues named Microraptor in 2000. Around 9 finds are now known, more than for most other small theropods, giving scientists an unusually detailed picture of its feathers and skeleton. Its closest relatives include Velociraptor and Deinonychus, other members of the dromaeosaurid family.