Caudipteryx
| Caudipteryx Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, (Barremian) ~
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|---|---|
| Mounted Caudipteryx zoui skeleton at Löwentor Museum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Clade: | †Oviraptorosauria |
| Family: | †Caudipteridae |
| Genus: | †Caudipteryx Ji et al. 1998 |
| Type species | |
| †Caudipteryx zoui Ji et al., 1998
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| Other species | |
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Caudipteryx (meaning "tail feather") is a genus of small oviraptorosaurian dinosaurs that lived in China during the Early Cretaceous, around 124.6 million years ago. They were feathered and extremely bird-like in their overall appearance, to the point that some paleontologists suggested it was a bird. Two species have been described: C. zoui (the type species), in 1998, and C. dongi, in 2000. Caudipteryx had a stout trunk, long legs, and was probably a swift runner. Its discovery has led to many intensive studies and debate over the relationship between birds and dinosaurs.