Wulong
Name: Wulong
(Danving dragon).
Phonetic: Wu-long.
Named By: A. W. Poust, C. Gao, D. J.
Varricchio, J. Wu & F. Zhang - 2020.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Theropoda, Dromaeosauridae, Microraptora.
Species: W. bohaiensis
(type).
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Roughly about 75 centimetres long.
Known locations: China, Liaoning province -
Jiufotang Formation.
Time period: Aptian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Almost complete juvenile
individual preserved on a slab.
Wulong
is a genus of microraptorine dromaeosaurid
dinosaur that lived in China
during the early Cretaceous. The holotype individual of Wulong
is of
a juvenile, so a full adult size for this dinosaur is unknown at the
time of writing. Other microraptorine dinosaurs however are usually
smaller than other dromaeosaurid dinosaurs, and like these
already, Wulong had a strongly developed feather
covering.
The
holotype specimen of Wulong shows that the genus
had hollow
bones, perhaps as weight saving feature. This would fit in with the
popular depiction of microraptorine dinosaurs being gliders, using
their well-developed arm feathers to form wings so that they could
glide from tree to tree in the forests of China during the early
Cretaceous. Another notable feature of Wulong is
the tail which
accounts for over half of the total body length.
Further reading
- A new microraptorine theropod from the Jehol Biota and growth in
early dromaeosaurids. - A. W. Poust, C. Gao, D. J.
Varricchio, J. Wu & F. Zhang - 2020.
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