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Sinocalliopteryx

Dinosaur profile

Sinocalliopteryx

CarnivoreEarly CretaceousSmall Theropod

Pronunciation

Sigh-no-cal-ee-op-ter-ix

Meaning

Giant Chinese beautiful feather

Type

Small Theropod

Length

2.37 meters long

Period

Early Cretaceous

Years

125 million years ago

Location

China

Diet

Carnivore

About Sinocalliopteryx

Sinocalliopteryx was a small, feathered theropod dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 122-119 million years ago. It was a coelurosaur, a group of carnivorous dinosaurs that include birds as their closest living relatives. Sinocalliopteryx was about the size of a large chicken, with a length of about 1.5 meters (5 feet) and a weight of around 5-10 kg (11-22 pounds). It had a long, narrow snout and a small brain relative to its body size. Its body was covered in feathers, which may have been used for insulation or for display. Sinocalliopteryx is known from a few fossil specimens found in China, which include well-preserved feathers. It is thought to have been a fast and agile runner, and may have hunted small animals or scavenged for food.

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