Episode 22 is all about Changyuraptor, a large, flying, non-avian dinosaur.
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In this episode, we discuss:
- The dinosaur of the day: Changyuraptor yangi, which means “long feathered robber”
- Changyuraptor is 125 million years old, not a bird, but a non-avian dinosaur that could probably fly
- Lived in the Creteaceous period, in China (found in northeastern China, in the Liaoning Province)
- Gang Han, a paleontologist from Bohai University, and his team described Changyuraptor in Nature Communications in July 2014
- Similar to its close relative Microraptor (had “hindwings” on legs, elaborate tail feathers), but was much bigger. Microraptor was about the size of a hawk, while Changyuraptor was closer to an eagle’s size (4.3 feet long with tail feathers that were almost 1 foot long–the longest found on a non-avian dinosaur)
- Changyuraptor had a 21 foot wingspan
- Changyuraptor was NOT a bird (first birds descended from dinosaurs 25 million years earlier; Changyuraptor, like Microraptor, was a dromaeosaurid
- Also NOT a pterosaur, a reptile known for its flying capabilities
- Part of Microraptoria group, predatory dinosaurs with four wings (meaning they had such long feathers on their legs it looked like a second set of wings)
- Still, it’s unclear how Changyuraptor moved through the air
- Some paleontologists thought it may have flown with a spread-eagle or biplane posture, but the theory doesn’t fit with Changyuraptor’s anatomy, which probably wasn’t very flexible in the hips, like most theropods (they probably had their legs directly under their bodies while in the air)
- May have climbed trees
- They probably landed on the ground but spent a lot of time in trees
- Probably used all their limbs to fly through dense trees
- They could turn and brake fast, maybe to catch small prey
- Changyuraptor is the biggest theropod with feathers on its “hindwings”, or lower hind limbs
- Had feathers that covered its whole body
- Tail feathers may have helped it land safely (more control)
- The tail feathers helped slow down its landing (keep it from getting injured)
- But it’s unclear if the four-wings was something only microraptorines had, or a common ancestor had
- Because of its large size, it probably could not fly for long periods of time
- Feathers on the arm were not well preserved, so scientists do not know how it supported its weight in the air
- Changyuraptor’s tail feathers are about 30% the length of its skeleton
- Feathers may have been used for display (brightly colored)
- Weighed about 9 pounds and 60% larger than the last microraptorine found
- When it lived, it’s habitat was a broad peninsula with volcanoes, moist forest with lots of conifer and ginkos, dry summers and cold winters
- Lots of different carnivores and herbivores, including Yutyrannus also lived there
- Also lots of birds, insects, primitive mammals, and some flowering plants, lived there (and lakes full of fish, frogs, and salamanders)
- Not sure what Changyuraptor ate, but fish and bird bones were found in its guts, so may have eaten small prey (birds, lizards, salamanders, fish, mammals)
- Changyuraptor is part of Microraptoria (which means “small one who seizes”)
- Microraptoria is a clade of dromaeosaurids theropods (they’re the most primitive ones)
- They lived 125 million years ago in China, and may have glided through trees
- They were usually small, with adults being between 2.5-3 feet long and weighing up to 2.2 pounds (except Changyuraptor, which is huge by comparison)
- Early birds (like Archaeopteryx) also have long feathers on their hindlimbs, like Microraptor and Changyuraptor, but modern birds usually have bald legs and fly with just two wings (not four)
- Older dromaeosaurids appeared more bird like (Changyuraptor, at 125 million years, looked more like a bird than Velociraptor, at 75 million years)
- Fun fact: The oldest known dinosaurs date back to 230 million years ago, and were found in Madagascar. A team of paleontologists, including researchers from UCSB, discovered them in 1999. Before they were found, the oldest known dinosaur was Eoraptor, a 228 million year old dinosaur whose name means “dawn thief”
