Zou's Tail Feather
Caudipteryx zoui
(Ji Q., Currie, Norell & Ji S., 1998)
Caudipteryx zoui is a wading shorebird
of Cretaceous Asia's freshwater lakes and rivers. C. zoui is a
fish-eater, a predator that stands stalk-still in shallow water, waiting for
an unwary fish to swim into the shade of this dinosaur's body. As the
fish strays closer, C. zoui will tense its muscles and then snatch up
the fish in a lightning-fast movement of neck or hands.
Holding the hapless fish in needle-sharp teeth or long-clawed fingers, the
dinosaur may eat at its leisure.
Thanks to Ben Creisler for telling me the Chinese name of
Caudipteryx, Fred Ruhe for helping me with the latin translation of the
name, Alessandro Marisa, Ahmed al-Mahasa Sha'ad, and Thomas R. Holtz, Jr. for
their help with the ansestry of this dinosaur, and Ray Stanford, of cource.
Other websites pertinent to this article:
© Daniel Bensen 2004
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