World of Dinosaurs/Confuciusornis
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Basics[edit | edit source]
Confuciusornis means "Confucius Bird".
Confuciusornis lived during the Cretaceous Period.
Anatomy[edit | edit source]
Confuciusornis is about the size of a crow.
Confuciusornis is an early bird, while also having some theropod traits.
It is the oldest known bird to have a beak.
Phylogeny[edit | edit source]
Confuciusornis is a theropod.
All theropods are dinosaurs.
All dinosaurs are amniotes and all dinosaurs are tetrapods.
Biomechanics[edit | edit source]
Confuciusornis is the first bird to have a beak.
Its leg posture was also more crouched than previous theropods.
Fossil Record[edit | edit source]
It is found in some beautiful specimens in China.
Ecology[edit | edit source]
The area Confuciusornis lived was a cool climate.
Reptiles such as crocodilians are not found.
Trees were prevalent.
Biogeography[edit | edit source]
There were frequent volcanic eruptions during this time.
There was also flooding at the time.