Zhenyuanlong

Zhenyuanlong
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous 125 Ma
Fossil specimen
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: Dromaeosauridae
Genus: Zhenyuanlong
& Brusatte, 2015
Species:
Z. suni
Binomial name
Zhenyuanlong suni
Lü & Brusatte, 2015

Zhenyuanlong (meaning "Zhenyuan's dragon", from Chinese Pinyin / lóng "dragon") is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China. It lived during the Aptian age of the early Cretaceous period, approximately 125 million years ago. It is known from a single specimen belonging to the species Zhenyuanlong suni (Chinese: 孫氏振元龍). This type specimen preserved a nearly complete skeleton that contains traces of feathers, including long tail feathers and large wings. In addition to further complicating diversity of Liaoning dromaeosaurids, this specimen provides the first direct evidence of well-developed pennaceous feathers in a large, non-flying dromaeosaur, raising the question of what function such wings would serve.