JOURNAL ARTICLE

This dinosaur might have used its feet to snag prey in midair like modern hawks.

  • Published In: Science News, 2023, v. 203, n. 4. P. 30 1 of 3

  • Database: Academic Search Ultimate 2 of 3

  • Authored By: Smith, Derek 3 of 3

Abstract

The team compared the fossil toe pads with those of 36 types of modern birds, whose toe pads vary with their lifestyle. The crow-sized Microraptor (illustrated above) had toe pads like those of modern raptors that can hunt in the air, researchers report December 20 in Nature Communications. Predatory birds have protruding toe pads with spiky scales for grasping prey, while ground birds that spend their time walking and running have flatter toe pads. [Extracted from the article]

Additional Information

  • Source:Science News. 2023/02, Vol. 203, Issue 4, p30
  • Document Type:Article
  • Subject Area:Zoology
  • Publication Date:2023
  • ISSN:0036-8423
  • Accession Number:161778498
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