Sinocalliopteryx

Say it: sie-no-kall-ee-op-ter-iks

Name means: “Chinese beautiful feather”1

Ate: MeatOther meat-eatersEarly Cretaceous

Sinocalliopteryx was a fast, feathered hunter that lived in what is now China. It had long legs and arms, and its body was covered in simple, hair-like feathers. This dinosaur was a fierce predator that could even catch birds on the ground.2 1

Lived

126 to 120 million years ago5

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Liaoning Province, China2 3

Food

Meat2 1

Length

2.37 m2

holotype specimen; a larger specimen was reported in 2012

Weight

20 kg2

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 5 house cats nose to tailas long as 13 bananas end to endas heavy as 5 house catsas heavy as 4 watermelons

How big was Sinocalliopteryx compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Sinocalliopteryx was the largest known compsognathid dinosaur when it was discovered in 2007.2

One Sinocalliopteryx fossil had the leg of a dromaeosaurid dinosaur inside its stomach, showing it ate other predators.2 1

Another fossil contained the bones of at least two Confuciusornis birds in its belly, suggesting it hunted birds.2

Sinocalliopteryx had long protofeathers on its hips, tail, and thighs, some up to 10 centimeters (4 inches) long.2

It also had protofeathers on its feet, which is unusual for a dinosaur that was not closely related to birds.2

The stomach acid in one fossil had etched a bone for about 13 days, showing Sinocalliopteryx had a high metabolism.2

AI-made picture of Sinocalliopteryx — An AI-made picture of how Sinocalliopteryx 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 Sinocalliopteryx

?How big was Sinocalliopteryx?

About 2.4 metres (7.8 feet) long and weighed around 20 kilograms (44 pounds).2 1

?Did Sinocalliopteryx have feathers?

Yes, it was covered in simple, hair-like protofeathers, with the longest ones on its hips, tail, and thighs.2 1

?What did Sinocalliopteryx eat?

It was a carnivore that ate other dinosaurs, like the dromaeosaurid Sinornithosaurus, and also birds such as Confuciusornis.2 4

?Could Sinocalliopteryx catch birds?

Yes, it was a stealth hunter that could catch birds on the ground, as shown by bird bones found in its stomach.2 4

Ask Rex about Sinocalliopteryx

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.

For dino experts

Scientific name: Sinocalliopteryx
Named by: Ji et al. 20075
Group: Other meat-eaters
Family / clade: Compsognathidae5
Classification: Theropoda > Compsognathidae5
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: Sinocalliopteryx was named in 2007 by Ji Shu'an, Ji Qiang, Lü Junchang, and Yuan Chongxi. The first fossil was found at Hengdaozi, in Sihetun, Liaoning Province, China.2 1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if the stones found in the first Sinocalliopteryx fossil were swallowed on purpose to help digestion or by accident.2

Where the facts come from

Sinocalliopteryx | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Sinocalliopteryx (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Abdominal Contents from Two Large Early Cretaceous Compsognathids (Dinosauria: Theropoda) Demonstrate Feeding on Confuciusornithids and Dromaeosaurids | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
Sinocalliopteryx 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