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''Caudipteryx'' (which means "tail feather") is a genus of peacock-sized theropod dinosaurs that lived in the Aptian age of the early Cretaceous Period (about 124.6 million years ago). They were feathered and remarkably birdlike in their overall appearance. Two species have been described; ''C. zoui'' (the type species), in 1998,〔 and ''C. dongi'', in 2000.〔 ''Caudipteryx'' fossils were first discovered in the Yixian Formation of the Sihetun area of Liaoning Province, northeastern China in 1997. ==Description== ''Caudipteryx'', like many other maniraptorans, has an interesting mix of reptile- and bird-like anatomical features.〔Witmer, L.M. (2005). “The Debate on Avian Ancestry; Phylogeny, Function and Fossils”, ''Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs'' : 3–30. ISBN 0-520-20094-2〕 ''Caudipteryx'' had a short, boxy skull with a beak-like snout that retained only a few tapered teeth in the front of the upper jaw. It had a stout trunk, long legs and was probably a swift runner. ''Caudipteryx'' has a short tail stiffened toward the tip, with few vertebrae, like in birds and other oviraptorosaurs. It has a primitive pelvis and shoulder, and primitive skull details in the quadratojugal, squamosal, quadrate, jugal, and mandibular fenestra (in the cheek, jaw, and jaw joint). It has a hand skeleton with a reduced third finger, like that of primitive birds and the oviraptorid ''Ingenia''.〔Osmolska, H., Currie, P.J., and Barsbold, R. (2004). "Oviraptorosauria." In Weishampel, Dodson, Osmolska (eds.) ''The Dinosauria'', second edition. University of California Press, 2004.〕 ''Caudipteryx'' had uncinate processes on the ribs, birdlike teeth, a first toe which may or may not be partially reversed and overall body proportions that are comparable to those of modern flightless birds.〔〔〔 (PDF ) (Supplementary information )〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Caudipteryx」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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