The Zhenyuanlong was a large feathered dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period. Unlike many earlier feathered dinosaurs, Zhenyuanlong’s feathers resembled modern birds. But Zhenyuanlong couldn’t fly. Found in the Yixian Formation in China, this avid hunter with a mouth full of sharp teeth was one of the fascinating beasts of the Mesozoic era.
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Some Quick Facts about the Zhenyuanlong Suni
| Name | Zhenyuanlong (meaning “Zhenyuan’s Dragon”) |
| Type of dinosaur | Feathered Dromaeosaurid Dinosaur |
| Territory | Forested, high-altitude habitats with winters and volcanic activity, Liaoning Province of Northeastern China |
| Size | The size of a Condor, 5.5-6.6 feet long, 2.5 feet tall |
| Color | Various colors |
| Interesting Characteristics | Large wings, long tail feathers, large feathers all over its body. Strong hind limbs with no feathers, very short arms, parrot-like beak |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Major Threats | Natural disasters and climate change |
The Zhenyuanlong was a Theropod dinosaur with complex feathers like modern birds.
This amazing feathered dinosaur looked much like the mythical phoenix, even though it couldn’t fly (similar to the Archaeornithoides).
The Zhenyuanlong was a carnivorous raptor with a mouth full of very sharp teeth. Its odd look and vicious nature caused paleontologist Stephen L. Brusatte to compare it to an angry fluffy feathered poodle.
When was the Zhenyuanlong discovered?
In 2015 a paleontologist, Zhenyuan Sun, got the fossil of Zhenyuanlong suni from a farmer.
The farmer didn’t want to give his name, only that he’d found the fossil in the Liaoning Province. Zhenyuan Sun sent the holotype or specimen (JPM-0008) to the Jinzhou Paleontological Museum in Beijing, China.
Stephen L. Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh, United Kingdom, collaborated with paleontologist Juchang Lü. Together they identified the fossil as a new species of Dromaeosaur. Since the farmer didn’t want to be named, they named the new dino Zhenyuanlong suni or Zhenyuan Sun’s Dragon (long).
What did the Zhenyuanlong look like?
Zhenyuanlong suni’s entire body was covered in large feathers. But that wasn’t the most exciting thing about this creature. Zhenyuanlong had pennaceous feathers, which means they had shafts or quills like modern birds.
These smooth vaned feathers were completely different than other feathered dinosaurs previously discovered by paleontologists!
Zhenyuanlong’s feathers are so important that paleontologists Junchang Lü and Steve Brusatte wrote an article about the Zhenyuanlong for the Scientific Reports publication. The article talks about the discovery of Zhenyuanlong and its implications for feather evolution.
What Was Unique About the Zhenyuanlong’s Arms?
The Zhenyuanlong had very short arms in proportion to its body.
Its wings had large feathers, and the dino was about the size of a Condor but couldn’t fly. Scientists believe that Zhenyuanlong used its impressively feathered wings to show off for prospective mates. This is known as “peacocking.”
the Zhenyuanlong compared to the Tianyuraptor
The closely related Tianyuraptor also had short arms, but not nearly as short as Zhenyuanlong when compared to its body.
Their relative, the Microraptor, had longer arms and could glide from branch to branch in the treetops. Zhenyuanlong and Tianyuraptor may have also used their wings to help them run faster, especially uphill.
Is the Zhenyuanlong related to Velociraptor?
Zhenyuanlong and Velociraptor are both Dromaeosaurid dinosaurs and are closely related.
Velociraptors lived in Northwestern China and Mongolia in the Late Cretaceous Period (99-65 million years ago). Even though the 1993 movie Jurassic Park depicted Velociraptors without feathers, in 2007, paleontologists realized that Velociraptors had feathers.
What are some other dino relatives of Zhenyuanlong?
Zhenyuanlong was more closely related to the Liaoning Dromaeosaurids of Northeastern China.
Microraptor, Tianyuraptor, and the Jurassic era Archaeopteryx are all closely related to Zhenyuanlong suni. Microraptor, Tianyuraptor, and Zhenyuanlong lived simultaneously and shared the ecosystem with other paravian dinos.
The connection to modern birds
It wasn’t until the discovery of Zhenyuanlong in 2015 that paleontologists knew how closely related to modern birds the Dromaeosaurids of the Liaoning Province are.
Though Zhenyuanlong is the only member of this feathered dino family that carries the name Dragon, it’s clear that all of Zhenyuanlong’s relatives played a part in the evolution of birds today. China truly was the land of amazing, feathered dragons.