Changyuraptor

Generic raptor body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Changyuraptor 1.2 m (3.9 ft) long
as long as 2 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic raptor body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Changyuraptor
Length
1.2 m (3.9 ft)
Period
Early Cretaceous (125 Mya)
Place
Africa · China
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Dromaeosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Sickle-clawed raptors: Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor.

Changyuraptor is a genus of “four-winged”, predatory dinosaurs. It is known from a single fossil specimen representing the species Changyuraptor yangi, which was discovered from Early Cretaceous (125 million year old) deposits in Liaoning Province, China. C. yangi belongs to the group of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs called the Microraptoria.

At the time of its discovery, C. yangi was the largest four-winged dinosaur known and among the largest Mesozoic flying paravians, volant true birds seldom approaching its size.

What we know

  • Named by Han et al., 2014.
  • Body length estimated at about 1.2 m.
  • Fossils found in Africa and China.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Changyuraptor — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.