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Friday, November 25, 2011

Dinosaurs Today's Dinosaur News

Posted by Mary Traverse on Fri, Nov 25, 2011 at 11:11 AM

Have some Meleagris gallopavo! The drumstick is delicious!

photos.com
"Have some Meleagris gallopavo! The drumstick is delicious!"

Did everyone enjoy filling their bellies with avian dinosaur yesterday?! MMMmmmmm avian dinosaur!

You know who else ate avian dinosaurs? NON-avian dinosaurs!!

In life, Microraptor gui must have been an elegant dinosaur. This small, sickle-clawed dromaeosaurid was covered in plumage, including long feathers along its arms and legs. We know this thanks to the exquisite preservation of multiple Microraptor specimens found in the roughly 120-million-year-old strata of northeastern China. But feathers aren’t the only delicate dinosaur features that remained intact during the process of death, burial and fossilization. In at least one Microraptor specimen, paleontologists have found scraps of the dinosaur’s last meal.

... There, hidden beneath the ribs, are parts of the wing and feet of a Cretaceous bird.

[from Dinosaur Tracking, Smithsonian magazine's blog]

So Microraptor had four "wings" and ate birds. Sweet! Check out the this link for an excellent illustration of Microraptor catching its prey and an image of the fossil. More info here, here and here!

h/t Brian and Parris! Have a hot dinosaur news tip? Send it to dinosaurs@thestranger.com

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I made Thanksgiving cards this year that had a turkey skull with the words Meleagris Gallopavo on it. I went to the natural history museum for inspiration.

Posted by pain on November 25, 2011 at 1:07 PM