Epidexipteryx hui
China, Mid- to Late Jurassic (152–168 million years ago), described 2008
This odd pigeon-sized dinosaur found in China’s Inner Mongolia Province had a downy covering of fuzz for insulation and four long, ribbon-like feathers that emerged from its tail and were probably used for display. Weirder still were Epidexipteryx’s incredibly long fingers – the third finger was half the length of its entire body. These strange features suggest it scrambled around in the trees, possibly using the long digits to skewer fat grubs in tree holes and crevices, just as the aye-aye of Madagascar does today. Epidexipteryx (EPP-ee-deks-IP-tuh-riks) hui means ‘Hu’s display feather’ and the species was named in honour of palaeontologist Hu Yaoming.
Video courtesy of the BBC Earth YouTube Channel and originally from the fantastic Planet Dinosaur documentary series.
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