Microraptor's World
Pterosaur
Dendrorynchoides
The true masters of the Liaoning skies were pterosaurs,
flying reptiles that preyed upon birds, mammals, small dinosaurs, and fish.
Museum dioramas often depict them as giants, but some pterosaurs, like this
specimen, were no bigger than swallows. A single, very elongated fourth finger
formed the leading edge and support for the pterosaur's wing. The skin
membrane stretched from wrist to ankle and even between the hind limbs. This
fossil reveals an astounding covering of fuzz, suggesting that proto-feathers
may have evolved in an animal that was a common ancestor to both pterosaurs and
dinosaurs.