What was the estimated total length of the diminutive Xiaotingia?
Answer
Around 60 centimeters
*Xiaotingia* was noted for its diminutive size, a characteristic that likely aided in its preservation across vast stretches of time. Estimates derived from the near-complete skeleton indicate that its total body length was quite small, measuring approximately 60 centimeters from snout to tail tip. This small size is further emphasized by its low estimated mass, which hovered near 0.82 kilograms, highlighting that this feathered creature occupied a very small niche within the Jurassic ecosystem.
Related Questions
Roughly when did Xiaotingia zhengi exist based on Bathonian and Oxfordian stages?What was the estimated total length of the diminutive Xiaotingia?Which anatomical marker suggests Xiaotingia sat closer to the Deinonychosaurs branch?For which paleontologist was the specific epithet zhengi of Xiaotingia zhengi an honorific?What is the designation for the almost complete type specimen of Xiaotingia that includes the skull?How is the diet of Xiaotingia zhengi categorized by paleontologists?Besides the head and body, where else was Xiaotingia clearly covered in feathers?What capability might be suggested by the femur (84 mm) being longer than the humerus (71 mm) in Xiaotingia?Which groups did the initial analysis by Xu et al. suggest Xiaotingia grouped closely with, excluding traditional birds?From which geological formation in China was the specimen of Xiaotingia likely recovered?