恐龍卡第 0754 張，共 2 027 張

Gretcheniao

名字的意思： “Gretchen's bird”3 1

吃：肉早期鳥類白堊紀早期

Gretcheniao was a small, feathered bird that lived about 125 million years ago in what is now China. It had strong teeth and sharp claws, and it probably hunted for food on the ground. This bird could fly, but not for very long distances!3 2

生存年代

126 到 120 百萬年前3

白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Fossils were found in the Yixian Formation, near Huludao City in Liaoning Province, China.3 1

長度

0.3 到 0.5 m (1 到 1.6 ft)1

體重

0.19 kg 到 0.282 kg (0 到 1 lb)1

高度

0.23 m (0.8 ft)

估計值

最高速度

時速約 35 公里（22 英里）

飛行, 估計值

牠生活在什麼時候？

三疊紀

侏羅紀

白堊紀

2 億 5200 萬年前20114566，小行星撞地球

牠有多大？

牠有多長？

牠有多高？

估計值

牠有多重？

跟 2.5 根香蕉一樣重

跟 3 根香蕉頭尾相接一樣長比一隻家貓還輕跟 16 塊積木排成一排一樣長小到能從椅子底下走過去能在 11 秒內飛越一整座足球場

Gretcheniao 跟「你」比起來有多大？

只是在你的瀏覽器裡算算數學。什麼都不會被儲存或傳送出去。

牠有多快？

走路的人 時速約 5 公里 (3 mph)

騎腳踏車的小朋友 時速約 12 公里 (7 mph)

Gretcheniao 時速約 35 公里 (22 mph)

一匹飛奔的馬 時速約 65 公里 (40 mph)

一隻獵豹 時速約 100 公里 (62 mph)

酷東西

趣味知識

Gretcheniao had a very long hand bone called a carpometacarpus, the longest of any of its relatives, even though its upper arm bone was only the third largest.1

Its breastbone had special projections that pointed backward and to the sides, which helped support its flight muscles.1

Gretcheniao's toes had long, curved claws, perfect for grabbing onto branches or prey.1

Scientists think Gretcheniao flew by flapping its wings continuously, but it could not fly for long distances, similar to modern chickens or quails.2 1

The fossil of Gretcheniao was so well preserved that some of its feathers left dark marks on the rock, especially around its neck and wing.1

Gretcheniao had a strong beak and thick lower jaw, which helped it bite into tough food.1

Gretcheniao 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Gretcheniao 可能的樣子。這只是猜測：真正的動物可能長得不一樣，也沒有人知道牠真正的顏色。

迷思破解王

迷思： Some people think Gretcheniao was a dinosaur like T. rex, but it was actually a bird.

真相： Gretcheniao was a type of bird called an enantiornithine, which is a group of ancient birds that lived alongside dinosaurs. Birds are related to dinosaurs, but they are not the same as the giant meat-eaters.3 1

給恐龍專家

學名: Gretcheniao
命名者: Chiappe et al. 20193
類群: 早期鳥類
科 / 演化支: Enantiornithes3
分類: Theropoda > Avialae3
岩石的年代: 126 到 120 百萬年 (Barremian / Aptian)3
岩層: Yixian3
國家: 中國3
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 1 筆3
發現: Gretcheniao was named in 2019 by scientists studying a nearly complete skeleton found in China. The fossil was named after Mrs. Gretchen Augustyn, who supported the Dinosaur Institute, and 'sinensis' means 'from China'.1
仍有爭議: Scientists are still debating how Gretcheniao and its close relatives are related to each other. Some think they all belong to one group, but others think they evolved separately.2 1