Microraptor gui II

Recovered from fossil-rich Liaoning province of China, Microraptor gui ("small plunderer") is a type of deinonychosaur from the early Cretaceous Period, a distant relative of Velociraptor, part of a group of dinosaurs usually thought of as ground-running predators, characterised by their deadly sickle-clawed toes. It is the first (and so far, the only) known four-winged (flying) vertebrate in the world, with plumulaceous and pennaceous feathers on its forearms and hind legs, and there are few reference points to guide those who study this dinosaur — comparisons to human-built bi-planes seem to be the best analogy.

Medium - 2B mechanical pencil.

© Diane N. Tran.