Anchiornis huxleyi

†Anchiornis huxleyi was a tiny paravian theropod of the Middle Jurassic, roughly 40cm long and weighing about 110g. Discovered in Liaoning, China, it bore four feathered wings with elongated leg feathers. Preserved melanosomes have allowed reconstruction of its plumage as predominantly black-and-white with a rufous crest, named in honor of Thomas Henry Huxley.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Anchiornis huxleyi was a meat-eating predator. Carnivorous dinosaurs were active hunters or scavengers, equipped with sharp teeth and claws for catching and consuming prey. They occupied the top of the food chain in their ecosystems.

Time Period

Jurassic Middle Mesozoic Era

Anchiornis huxleyi lived during the Jurassic Middle period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 174.7 to 161.5 million years ago.

Dinosaur diversity continued to increase, with the evolution of large sauropods and diverse theropods. Stegosaurs first appeared, and the supercontinent Pangaea was breaking apart.