恐龍卡第 1490 張，共 2 027 張

Protopteryx

名字的意思： “primitive feather”1

吃：肉早期鳥類白堊紀早期

Protopteryx was a tiny early bird that lived about 131 million years ago in what is now China. It had two long, ribbon-like tail feathers that were different from any modern bird's feathers. This little bird could fly and probably ate small animals like insects.1 4

生存年代

133 到 121 百萬年前4

白堊紀早期

化石發現地

Sichakou Member of the Yixian Formation and Huajiying Formation, Hebei Province, northern China1

長度

0.1 m (0.3 ft)1

體重

0.0325 kg 到 0.0485 kg (0 到 0 lb)3

高度

0.05 m (0.2 ft)

估計值

最高速度

時速約 18 公里（11 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 0.5 根香蕉一樣重

比一隻家貓還輕跟 3 塊積木排成一排一樣長小到能從椅子底下走過去能在 21 秒內飛越一整座足球場

Protopteryx 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)

Protopteryx 時速約 18 公里 (11 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

Protopteryx is one of the oldest and most primitive members of the group Enantiornithes, which were early birds that lived alongside dinosaurs.1

Its two central tail feathers were scalelike without barbs near the body, only having barbs at the tips. This is similar to the tail feathers of the modern red bird-of-paradise.1 2

Protopteryx was about the size of a modern starling, with a body length of only 10 centimetres (3.9 inches) not counting its long tail feathers.1

Its body was covered in three types of feathers: down feathers, flight feathers, and the long ribbon-like tail feathers.1

The down feathers of Protopteryx had flat, frayed tips instead of the hairlike barbs seen in modern birds.1

Protopteryx had a triosseal canal, a feature in the shoulder that helped with flight, and this is one of the earliest examples in birds.2

Protopteryx 的 AI 繪圖 — 這是電腦根據科學家目前的知識，用 AI 畫出 Protopteryx 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。

你們都在問

關於 Protopteryx 最常被問的問題

?How big was Protopteryx?

About 10 centimetres long, not counting its long tail feathers. It was roughly the size of a modern starling.1

?What did Protopteryx eat?

It probably ate small animals like insects. Its teeth are similar to those of Archaeopteryx, which suggests a similar diet.1

?Could Protopteryx fly?

Yes, it was adapted for flying. It had a triosseal canal in its shoulder and asymmetric wing feathers, just like modern flying birds.1

?Why did Protopteryx have long tail feathers?

The long, ribbon-like tail feathers were probably used for display, not for flying. They only had barbs at the tips, similar to the red bird-of-paradise today.1

給恐龍專家

學名: Protopteryx
命名者: Zhang and Zhou 20004
類群: 早期鳥類
科 / 演化支: Enantiornithes4
分類: Theropoda > Avialae4
岩石的年代: 133 到 121 百萬年 (Hauterivian / Barremian)4
岩層: Huajiying4
國家: 中國4
化石紀錄: The Paleobiology Database 收錄 2 筆4
發現: Protopteryx was named by Chinese paleontologists Fucheng Zhang and Zhonghe Zhou in 2000 based on a fossil found in the Yixian Formation of Hebei Province, China.1 4
仍有爭議: Scientists are still debating whether the long, ribbon-like tail feathers of Protopteryx were used for display, thermoregulation, or sensing the environment.1