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Sinornithosaurus

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Sinornithosaurus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 124.6–122 Ma
S. millenii fossil, Hong Kong Science Museum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: Dromaeosauridae
Clade: Microraptoria
Genus: Sinornithosaurus
Xu, Wang & Wu, 1999
Type species
Sinornithosaurus millenii
Xu, Wang, & Wu, 1999
Species
  • S. millenii Xu, Wang, & Wu, 1999
  • S. haoiana? Liu, Ji, Tang & Gao, 2004

Sinornithosaurus (derived from Latin and Greek, meaning 'Chinese bird-lizard') was a feathered dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous, a dromaeosaur. It was found in the Yixian Formation in what is now China.

This new fossil supports the idea that these dinosaurs did not have scaly, reptile-like skin, but had a softer, downy coat. No fossil skin impressions of these dinosaurs had been found previously.