Caudipteryx zoui

† Caudipteryx zoui ('tail feather, for Zou') was a small, flightless oviraptorosaur from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China. About 70–80 cm long and weighing roughly 5 kg, it possessed a short beak with reduced teeth, fan-shaped tail feathers, and arm plumage, but lacked the wing area for flight. As an omnivore, it consumed seeds, plant matter, and insects. Its feathered body provided critical early evidence linking non-avian theropods to modern birds, when described in 1998.

Diet & Feeding

Omnivore

Caudipteryx zoui had a varied diet that included both plants and animals. Omnivorous dinosaurs were versatile feeders, able to exploit multiple food sources, which gave them an advantage in changing environments.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Caudipteryx zoui lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145.0 to 100.5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.