| Caihong | |
|---|---|
| |
| Skull | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | Paraves |
| Genus: | †Caihong Hu et al., 2018 |
| Type species | |
| †Caihong juji Hu et al., 2018 | |
Caihong (Chinese: 彩虹; English: Rainbow) is a genus of small paravian dinosaur from China that lived during the Late Jurassic period.[1] This particular dinosaur can be distinguished from closely related genera such as Eosinopteryx and Anchiornis by the presence of prominent lacrimal crests, longer pennaceous feathers on the forelimbs and backlimbs and tail feathers with large asymmetrical vanes.[1] Analysis of the nanostructures of the fossils interpreted as melanosomes show similarity to the same organelles that produce bright iridescent colors in extant birds, making this one of the oldest known evidence of such a feature.[1]
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References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 (2018) "A bony-crested Jurassic dinosaur with evidence of iridescent plumage highlights complexity in early paravian evolution". Nature Communications 9: Article number 217. DOI:10.1038/s41467-017-02515-y.