The incessant humming of flying insects drones out under a canopy of towering pine and yew trees. Dragonflies, wasps and cicadas are all here, and the cacophonous ambience of the woodland at the height of summer is as recogniseable one hundred and twenty five million years ago as it is today. This is China's Yixian Formation, at the height of the Early Cretaceous Period, a place of warm woodlands, vast lakes and dense shrubbery teeming with life. Everywhere you look, something is happening. A small, monkey-like dinosaur chases a large insect into a broken tree hollow. Screeching pterosaurs whirl across a lake in pursuit of mayflies over the water's edge. Somewhere deep within the trees, a lone Beipaosaurus, a genus of long clawed therizinosaurus, calls out into the primal forests, seeking a mate. What is most striking about this world is its colour. Blooming angiosperm plants, vibrant feathered dinosaurs and clear blue skies glow in the light of the early morning sun, which sends dappled light spots down onto the bright green leaves of the undergrowth.
Soon, the commotion of the forest finds its way to the banks of a lake. A bright flash of green - a lizard - darts from the undergrowth and scrambles up onto a fallen tree. Its breathing is frantic, and as soon as it has arrived, it has left once more, as a bright orange shape darts into the clearing and pounces upon the tree where the little reptile once stood. Standing before the lakeside on top of the fallen tree now, is a creature that resembles a dinosaur, but not in the traditional sense. There is not a scale in sight - this long tailed, bright orange, filament coated animal much more closely resembles a squirrel or a lemur than a dinosaur. However - the signs are all there. This little theropod stands on two legs, is equipped with sharp, curved claws, and owns a long, tapering tail. This little predator is Sinosauropteryx - a common resident of the Yixian forests of the Early Cretaceous.
Today, we will meet this fascinating little theropod in all its glory. This is a dinosaur that we know in incredible detail, right down to the colours of its feathers. From its discovery to how it lived, sit back as we take a journey through time to explore the life of Sinosauropteryx.
