# Microraptor (*Microraptor gui*)

Microraptor was a prehistoric dinosaur known for its distinctive features. Scientists study its bones to learn about how dinosaurs lived.

- **Category:** [Ancient](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/ancient)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Mesozoic forests and floodplains
- **Also known as:** Microraptor gui

![Microraptor](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Microraptor_gui_holotype.png&width=800)

Photo: David W. E. Hone, Helmut Tischlinger, Xing Xu, Fucheng Zhang, CC BY 2.5 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microraptor_gui_holotype.png)

## Appearance

The Microraptor is a small, four-winged dinosaur with iridescent black feathers, similar to a modern raven. It has long, feathered legs and arms that act as additional wings, giving it a unique biplane-like appearance. Its sleek body and long tail feathers enhance its aerial design.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia

## Interesting facts

- Wow! It had four wings, like a prehistoric biplane, for gliding between trees!
- Wow! Its feathers likely gleamed with an iridescent, rainbow-like sheen!
- Wow! Microraptor was the size of a modern crow, but had tiny, sharp teeth!
- Wow! Scientists found its last meal: a tiny lizard or a small fish!

## Special abilities

- **Quadrupedal Glide:** Microraptor can glide through ancient forests because of its unique four feathered limbs, including hind legs that acted like extra wings.
- **Aerial Steering:** Microraptor has a long, stiffened tail with a diamond-shaped fan of feathers that helps it steer and balance during glides.
- **Low-Light Vision:** Microraptor might have hunted at dusk or night because of large eye sockets suggesting excellent low-light vision for prey.

## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 0.5-0.8 m
- **Weight:** 0.5-1.5 kg
- **Era:** Cretaceous Period
- **Extinct Millions Years Ago:** 120

## Diet & Feeding

A tiny, feathered hunter that snapped up small animals like lizards and fish.

- **Primary Foods:** lizards, small birds, fish, small mammals
- **Foraging Method:** Ambush

## Ecological connections

- **Eats:** Lycoptera fish (*Lycoptera davidi*) — A small freshwater fish found in Microraptor stomach contents.
- **Eats:** Gliding lizard (*Xianglong zhaoi*) — A tree-dwelling, gliding lizard, likely caught by Microraptor.
- **Eaten by:** Dilong (*Dilong paradoxus*) — A small tyrannosauroid that may have hunted Microraptor.

## Traits

- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Ancient](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/ancient): Ancient refers to organisms, objects, or geological formations that have existed for an extremely long period.
- [Artifact](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/artifact): An artifact is an object made or modified by human culture, typically of historical or archaeological interest.
- [Fossil](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fossil): A fossil is the preserved remains or traces of an ancient organism embedded in rock or other geological deposits.

## Collections

- [Ancient](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/ancient)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

While extremely dangerous in their time, this creature is now extinct.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Microraptor?

Compare skull shape, horns, plates, limbs, posture and tail. Museum models and toys can mix features or follow outdated reconstructions. Dinosaur Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Microraptor?

0.5-0.8 m

### How much does Microraptor weigh?

0.5-1.5 kg

### What does Microraptor eat?

A tiny, feathered hunter that snapped up small animals like lizards and fish.

### Where is Microraptor usually found?

Mesozoic forests and floodplains

### How does Microraptor hunt?

Ambush

### What geologic era did Microraptor live in?

Cretaceous Period

### When did Microraptor go extinct?

120

## More Ancient

- [Tyrannosaurus rex](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tyrannosaurus-rex) (*Tyrannosaurus rex*)
- [Triceratops](https://www.snappit.app/explore/triceratops) (*Triceratops horridus*)
- [Stegosaurus](https://www.snappit.app/explore/stegosaurus) (*Stegosaurus stenops*)
- [Brachiosaurus](https://www.snappit.app/explore/brachiosaurus) (*Brachiosaurus altithorax*)

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Source: [Microraptor: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/microraptor)