Microraptor's World
Feathered dinosaur
Sinornithosaurus
When his Chinese colleague Ji Qiang first showed Mark Norell this
fossil in 1999, Norell thought it was the greatest dinosaur specimen
he had ever seen. The feathers on this small dinosaur, which Norell
affectionately calls "Dave," are much more pronounced than those on
the "first feathered dinosaur," Sinosauropteryx prima. Dave's
feathers also come in three types: simple hair-like fibers
(primarily on the head and tail), sprays of fibers (apparent on the
hind limbs and shoulders), and asymmetrical feathers like those of a
modern bird (on the trailing edge of the arm).