Microraptor (name meaning "small thief") is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Early Cretaceous period.
Facts[]
Description[]
Microraptor was small, with a big claw on its third toe, like its cousin Velociraptor. However, it wasn't primarily used for killing. It was more adapted to climbing, though the claw could still hold down small prey and attack predators. It had two pairs of wings; one on its legs and another on its forearms, which it used to glide from tree-to-tree. They could have glided 50 metres at a time using this tactic.
Diet[]
Microraptor would hunt small reptiles, insects (such as grubs and beetles) and small animals.
In Planet Dinosaur[]
Feathered Dragons[]
Microraptor is first seen hunting a Xianglong, which is a lizard. It almost catches the prey, but it falls off the tree - fanning out a set of skin from it's ribs, forming wings to glide. The Microraptor jumps too, and fans out it's arms and legs, gliding after it. The chase continues as Xianglong and Microraptor land. It did not manage to catch Xianglong, but then a Sinornithosaurus attacks. Microraptor and Sinornithosaurus chase each other, and Microraptor struggles to run on the ground. It manages to get up a tree, with the Sinornithosaurus on its tail. The Microraptor has a lucky escape. It is last seems when John Hurt says, "Not only has Microraptor given us a glimpse of how flight developed, but also that dinosaurs still live around us today - as birds."
Errors[]
- Since the airing of Planet Dinosaur, fossilized pigments in the feathers of Microraptor suggests that its plumage was iridescent black.
Gallery[]
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