Australia: The Land Where Time Began

A biography of the Australian continent 

At 77 cm long, this is one of the smallest known adult theropods. It had advanced pennaceous (contour feathers) flight feathers on its arms and legs, and the reptilian tail also had a fan of broad feathers, becoming larger towards the tip of the tail. The hip joints precluded a flapping motion, have too little mobility, so it was probably a glider. It has been suggested it was a predator of small prey such as insects and other small animals that glided between trees, either to escape predators or to find prey.

Links

• Biplane wing planform and flight performance of the feathered dinosaur Microraptor gui
• Peter Schouten

Sources & Further reading

John A. Long & Peter Schouten, Feathered Dinosaurs, the Origin of Birds, SCIRO Publishing, 2008