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Finally released from the Dinosaur Hell of my own making, I bring to you some extra size charts comparing related species that I’ve drawn so far!

Huge congrats to everyone who completed Archovember this year, as well as to those who are still working through the list at their own (healthier) pace! It was nice having a couple extra people to check in on on Tumblr this year too! It was so fun seeing everyone’s take on these species, and being able to give some of the lesser-known ones some much deserved attention.

I’d like to urge people to go to my Instagram SaritaPaleo and see the story highlights, check out what other people have drawn, and give them some likes and comments as well. A lot of people put so much effort and creativity into this year!

I’ve also just posted some polls to my Instagram story about next year’s Archovember, particularly about the order the species will be drawn in and if I should move the challenge to a different month. If you plan to participate next year please check that out asap, as it may change how this challenge goes in the future!

Maybe the real compsognathids were the friends we made along the way.

#this probably makes no sense lmao #paleontology #compsognathids #0 notes flop post

i straight up did not upload this? my bad

u can get her as a sticker or something else here <3

#me when i dont upload a 3+ month old piece 🤡#sinosauropteryx #sinosauropteryx prima #compsognathid #compsognathids #lgbt #lgbtq #lgbtq pride #lesbian #lesbian pride #dinosaur #dinosaurs #theropod #theropods #theropod dinosaur #theropoda #pride #my art

Archovember Day 19: Sinosauropteryx prima

In life, Sinosauropteryx would have been just like any other compsognathid. But it is very important to paleontology for a variety of reasons.

For one, it was the first non-avialan (bird-winged) dinosaur to be discovered with evidence of feathers. Not only that, but these feathers were so well-fossilized, that we could determine the structure and placement of their melanosomes, and thus what colors and patterns the dinosaur would have been! Thus, Sinosauropteryx was the first non-avialan dinosaur whose life appearance we can be almost certain of! We know that it was covered almost completely in soft, down-like feathers, had a long striped tail, was countershaded with reddish-brown feathers on top and white on the bottom, and had a raccoon-like band across its eyes.

Sinosauropteryx lived in Early Cretaceous China. It was only around 3 feet long, about the size of a small cat. It was smaller than the European Compsognathus, but had a very long tail, the longest (in proportion to its body) of any theropod! One specimen was preserved with a lizard in its gut, and another with mammal jaws, indicating it would have chased down small, fast-moving animals. Aside from its prey, it would have lived alongside various small birds, the therizinosaur Beipiaosaurus, the bipedal ceratopsian Psittacosaurus, the microraptorine Sinornithosaurus, the troodontid Mei, the dromeosaur Tianyuraptor, the much larger compsognathid Sinocalliopteryx, the sauropod Dongbeititan, and the tyrannosauroids Dilong and Yutyrannus.