| Zhenyuanlong Temporal range: Early Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
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| Reconstruction of Zhenyuanlong by Gabriel N. U. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Superorder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Dromaeosauridae |
| Genus: | †Zhenyuanlong Lü & Brusatte, 2015 |
| Species: | †Z. suni |
| Binomial name | |
| †Zhenyuanlong suni Lü & Brusatte, 2015 | |
Zhenyuanlong (meaning "Zhenyuan's dragon" from Chinese Pinyin; 龙 (Lóng) means dragon) is an extinct genus of carnivorous Dromaeosaur. It lived during the early Cretaceous period in what is now the Yixian formation in Liaoning, China.
Details of the specimen's feathers
It is currently known from a single specimen belonging to the species Zhenyuanlong suni.
This type specimen preserved a nearly complete skeleton missing half of the tail, but containing traces of well preserved feathers, including long tail feathers and large wings. It provided the first evidence that non-flying dromaeosaurs and other related non-avian dinosaurs had well-developed pennaceous feathers, which were used for some purpose(s) other than flying.
Description[]
Size of Zhenyuanlong compared to a human.
Zhenyuanlong suni was a mid-sized dromaeosaurid similar in length to Velociraptor and the similar Tianyuraptor. It was perhaps up to 2 meters (6.6 ft) in life. It looked kind of like a large bird, being covered with complex feathers. It had short wings full of long pennaceous feathers similar to a modern bird's and it also possessed a tail fan. It is currently the largest non-avian dinosaur with direct evidence of pennaceous feathers.
Discovery[]
Fossil of Zhenyuanlong
The only specimen of Zhenyuanlong was found by a local farmer near Sihedang locality of Jianchang county, Liaoning Province in China. It was later then secured for study at the Jinzhou Paleontological Museum by one of its representatives, Zhenyuan Sun.
Details of the specimen
In 2015, the type species Zhenyuanlong suni was named and described by paleontologists Lü Junchang of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences in Beijing and Stephen Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom. They named the genus Zhenyuanlong ("Zhenyuan's dragon"), after Zhenyuan Sun's given name, and the type species suni after his family name.
Details of the skull
The holotype, JPM-0008, a sub-adult specimen, was found in the northeastern China's Yixian Formation, which dates from the Aptian age of the Early Cretaceous (125–113 million years ago). The holotype, measuring 122.6 centimetres (4.02 ft) (estimated to be 165 centimetres (5.41 ft) when complete), had a nearly complete and articulated skeleton, lacking only half of the tail, and a well preserved skull and lower jaws. It also had well preserved vaned feathers on the arms and tail. The fossil is compressed on its stone plate or slab, but however, a counterplate is absent.
Gallery[]
