Height: 3 feet (1 meter)

Weight: ??

Period: middle Barremian

Caudipteryx is one of the few non-avian dinosaurs for which feathery impressions are known. The only others (Sinosauropteryx, Protarchaeopteryx, Beipiaosaurus, and Sinornithosaurus) come from the same site and have also only recently been discovered. Caudipteryx specimens were at first mistaken for Protarchaeopteryx specimens. As the name implies, Caudipteryx had a special assemblage of feathers on its tail, possibly for ornamental purposes. There are bands of dark and light on the tail feathers. These may be remnants of the animal's pigmentation, something that is hardly ever preserved. Caudipteryx had very short forelimbs and symmetrical feathers, meaning that it did not fly. It legs were long, perhaps for running and/or wading. A recent study has suggested that it was capable of perching.

Back to Cogsci2000 program page

Dinosaur pictures by Joe Tucciarone, http://members.aol.com/Dinoplanet/dinosaur.html, used by permission.