The Dinohunters

A History of Dinosaur Hunting and Reconstruction

Main menu: Home | Mantell | Hunters | Discoveries | Contact |

Sinosauropteryx

In August 1996 the remains of a new dinosaur genus was discovered by farmers near the village of Yianxin in Liaoning province of northeastern China.   The creature was a small 1m long dinosaur resembling Compsognathus, with sharp teeth and long hind legs suggesting bipedality.

The most remarkable feature, however, was that it appeared to have down-like feathers covering the surface of its body.

The creature has been studied by Dr. Philip Currie, from the Royal Tyrell Museum, Alberta.  The creature has been labelled Sinosauropteryx prima, and has been dated at 140 - 120 million years old. This makes it younger than Archaeopteryx.

dinosaur image

Mike Skrepnik 1996