Scansoriopteryx

Type Species: Scansoriopteryx heilmanni

Classification: Dinosauria – Saurischia – Theropoda – Coelurosauria – Maniraptora – Paraves – Scansoriopterygidae

Time Period: Late Jurassic

Location: China

Diet: Carnivore 

The paravian Scansoropteryx lived in southern Laurasia (China) during the Oxfordian stage of the Late Jurassic. The sole specimen belongs to a hatchling, so the adult size is unknown. The hatchling was sparrow-sized and was likely arboreal (tree-dwelling) due to the unusually large first toe of the foot that may have been reversed in life, giving it a grasping ability for perching on tree limbs. Its elongated third finger is nearly twice as long as the second finger, and this may have supported a membranous ‘bat-like’ wing. It had short legs, and the specimen preserves pebbly scales along the upper foot. The presence of feathers in the same area may imply ‘hind wings’ similar to those of Microraptor and other paravians. The tail ended in a fan of feathers. Its jaws were wide and rounded; the lower jaw contained at least twelve teeth, and they were larger in the front of the jaws than in the back. The lower jaw bones may have been fused together, a feature otherwise known only in the oviraptosaurs.