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Aurornis

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Name means: “dawn bird”1

Ate: MeatEarly birdsMiddle Jurassic to Late Jurassic

Aurornis was a small, feathered dinosaur that lived about 160 million years ago. It is one of the earliest known relatives of birds, even older than Archaeopteryx. Aurornis had long legs and a long tail, and it probably used its feathers for display or gliding.2 1

Lived

168 to 152 million years ago6

Middle Jurassic to Late Jurassic

Fossils found in

Liaoning Province, China3 2

Food

Meat3

Length

0.51 m1

based on the only known specimen, which was probably an adult

Weight

1 kg4

estimate from Gregory S. Paul's pro-avis model referenced in the Wikipedia article

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 8 bananas

as long as 3 bananas end to endlighter than a house catas heavy as 8 bananas

How big was Aurornis compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Aurornis is the oldest known avialan, the group that includes birds and their closest dinosaur relatives.2

The only fossil of Aurornis is a complete skeleton with traces of fluffy, down-like feathers around the neck and chest.1

Aurornis lived during the Middle to Late Jurassic period, about 168 to 152 million years ago.3

Its name means 'dawn bird' because it lived near the beginning of bird evolution.1

Aurornis was about 51 centimeters (20 inches) long, about the size of a modern chicken.1

Scientists think Aurornis could not fly using its forelimbs like modern birds, but it may have glided or used its feathers for balance.2

AI-made picture of Aurornis — An AI-made picture of how Aurornis might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Aurornis

?Is Aurornis a dinosaur?

Yes, Aurornis is a small, feathered theropod dinosaur and one of the earliest known relatives of birds.4 5

?How big was Aurornis?

About 51 centimetres long, roughly the size of a modern chicken or pheasant.2 4

?What did Aurornis eat?

Scientists do not know for sure, but because it was a small theropod dinosaur, it probably ate small animals like insects or lizards.4

?How old is Aurornis?

Aurornis lived about 160 million years ago, during the Middle to Late Jurassic Period. Some scientists are not certain of the exact age because the fossil's origin is unclear.4 5

?Could Aurornis fly?

Probably not like modern birds. Its short forelimbs suggest it could not fly using powered flight, but it may have glided or used its feathers for display or balance.4 1

?Is Aurornis older than Archaeopteryx?

Yes, Aurornis lived about 160 million years ago, roughly 10 million years before Archaeopteryx, which lived about 150 million years ago. However, some scientists are not sure of Aurornis's exact age.4 5

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Aurornis
Named by: Godefroit et al. 20136
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Avialae6
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae6
Age of the rocks: 168 to 152 million years (Bathonian / Kimmeridgian)6
Rock formations: Tiaojishan6
Countries: China6
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database6
Discovery: Aurornis was named in 2013 by Pascal Godefroit and colleagues. The fossil was found in the Tiaojishan Formation of Liaoning, China, and was named after Xu Xing, a famous Chinese paleontologist.3 1
Still debated: Scientists debate whether Aurornis could fly or just glide, because its feathers were simple and not suited for powered flight.2

Where the facts come from

A Jurassic avialan dinosaur from China resolves the early phylogenetic history of birds (biblio.naturalsciences.be)
A Jurassic avialan dinosaur from China resolves the early phylogenetic history of birds | Nature (web.archive.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Aurornis (en.wikipedia.org)
Archaeopteryx restored in fossil reshuffle - BBC News (bbc.co.uk)
Aurornis in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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