Caudipteryx
Caudipteryx was a small, feathered dinosaur that looked a lot like a bird. It had a fan of feathers on its tail and wings on its arms, but it could not fly. It lived in China during the Early Cretaceous, about 124 million years ago.12
When did it live?
How big was it?
How long was it?
How heavy was it?
How big was Caudipteryx compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Fun facts
Caudipteryx had long, symmetrical feathers on its hands and tail, measuring 15 to 20 centimetres (5.9 to 7.9 inches) long. These feathers were black with a banded pattern on the tail.1
Its discovery in 1998 helped prove that birds evolved from dinosaurs, because it had clear feathers but was not a bird.1
Caudipteryx had a short, boxy skull with a beak-like snout and only a few teeth in the front of its upper jaw.1
Scientists think Caudipteryx was secondarily flightless, meaning its ancestors could fly but it lost that ability.1
Fossils of Caudipteryx have been found with gizzard stones in the place where its stomach would have been, just like in some plant-eating dinosaurs and modern birds.1
Most asked questions about Caudipteryx
?How big was Caudipteryx?
About 72.5 to 89 centimetres (2 feet 4.5 inches to 2 feet 11 inches) long and weighed around 5 kilograms (11 pounds). It was about the size of a peacock.14
?What did Caudipteryx eat?
It was an omnivore. It probably ate insects and maybe plants, and it swallowed small stones called gastroliths to help digest its food.12
?Could Caudipteryx fly?
No, it could not fly. Its arms were too short to work as wings, and scientists think it was secondarily flightless, meaning its ancestors could fly but it lost that ability.14
?When did Caudipteryx live?
It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 124 to 122 million years ago.12
?Where was Caudipteryx found?
All Caudipteryx fossils have been found in the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China.14
?Is Caudipteryx a bird?
Most scientists say it is a non-avian dinosaur, but a few think it might be a flightless bird. The debate helped prove that birds evolved from dinosaurs.1
Ask Rex about Caudipteryx
Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.
Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.
Myth buster
Myth: Caudipteryx was a bird because it had feathers.
Truth: Caudipteryx was a non-avian dinosaur, not a bird. It belongs to a group called oviraptorosaurs, which are dinosaurs closely related to birds.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Caudipteryx
- Named by
- Ji et al. 19985
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Oviraptorosauria5
- Classification
- Theropoda > Oviraptorosauria5
- Age of the rocks
- 126 to 120 million years (Barremian / Aptian)5
- Rock formations
- Yixian5
- Countries
- China5
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Discovery
- Caudipteryx was named in 1998 by Ji and colleagues based on two nearly complete skeletons found in Liaoning, China. The name honors Zou Jiahua, a Chinese vice premier.1
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether Caudipteryx was a bird or a non-avian dinosaur, though most now agree it is a non-avian oviraptorosaur.1
Where the facts come from
- Caudipteryx (en.wikipedia.org)
- Caudipteryx | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Caudipteryx | Size, Habitat, & Facts | Britannica (britannica.com)
- Caudipteryx in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex
Therizinosaurus
Oviraptor
Chirostenotes
Citipes
Leptorhynchos
Avimimus
Stegosaurus
Iguanodon
Archaeopteryx
Giganotosaurus
Microraptor
Deinonychus