Caihong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caihong |
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| The holotype of Caihong juji, PMoL-B00175 | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Anchiornithidae |
| Genus: | †Caihong Hu et al., 2018 |
| Type species | |
| †Caihong juji Hu et al., 2018
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Caihong (which means "rainbow" in Chinese) is an extinct dinosaur-bird. It lived in China during the Late Jurassic period. This was about 161 million years ago.
Scientists discovered Caihong in 2014. It might be even older than Aurornis xui, which was thought to be the earliest bird. The official name for this type of animal, Caihong juji, was given in 2018.
Contents
What Was Caihong Like?
How Big Was Caihong?
Caihong was a pretty small dinosaur. It was about 40 centimeters (16 inches) long. That's roughly the size of a pigeon. It weighed around 475 grams (about 1 pound).
Caihong's Skeleton
The skull of Caihong was about 67.6 millimeters long. It was long and flat, a bit like the skull of a Velociraptor. Its skull was only a little shorter than its thigh bone.
Bones in its Spine
Caihong had many bones in its spine. It likely had ten bones in its neck. There were thirteen bones in its back. It also had five bones in its hip area. Its tail was quite long, with twenty-six bones.
Feathers and Colors
The fossilized feathers of Caihong show amazing colors. They looked like the shiny, black, rainbow-like colors you see on some modern birds. These special feathers were found on its head, chest, and near the base of its tail.
These feathers had tiny structures called melanosomes. They are like tiny color packets. Caihong has the oldest known evidence of these special melanosomes. This means it's the earliest animal we know of that had these shiny, iridescent feathers!
Images for kids
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Size comparison and restoration (With crest)
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Life restoration of Caihong juji (Without crest)
See also
In Spanish: Caihong juji para niños
