Protopteryx
"the first of"
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (131 Mya)
- Place
- China
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.
Protopteryx is an extinct bird and possibly the basalmost enantiornithean, from the Cretaceous period. The type species is P. fengningensis. It was first discovered in the Sichakou Member of the Yixian Formation or Huajiying Formation of Hebei Province, northern China, dating from 131 Ma ago. Protopteryx has been found in the Daibeigou formation, as well. The name Protopteryx means “primitive feather”: “proto-” meaning “the first of” and “-pteryx” meaning “feather” or “wing.” The name comes from the fact that Protopteryx feathers are more primitive than those of modern birds, such as the two elongated tail feathers that lack barbs and rami.
What we know
- Named by Zhang & Zhou, 2000.
- Fossils found in China.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Protopteryx — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.