From Feathered Dinosaurs to Birds: The Fossil Evidence

Science · Dinosaurs & Paleontology · ages 11-13

Name ______________________ Date ____________

No living bird today has teeth.
Circle one: True False
Which feathered dinosaur fossil kept traces of its original colors in the rock?
- Microraptor
- Sinosauropteryx
- Anchiornis
Which fossil had short fuzzy filaments, an early kind of feather used for warmth?
- Sinosauropteryx
- Microraptor
- Archaeopteryx
Which of these fossils shows a dinosaur with four wings, on both arms and legs?
- Triceratops
- Microraptor
- Tyrannosaurus
Sinosauropteryx's feathers were simple fuzzy filaments, not shaped for flying. What were they most likely used for?
- Underwater swimming
- Digging burrows
- Keeping warm and showing off color
Why did the volcanic ash at Liaoning help scientists so much?
- It buried animals quickly and kept fine details, even feathers, in the rock
- It heated the bones until they turned into stone
- It hid the bodies from every scavenger, so nothing ever decayed
Which two fossils in the lesson both had feathers on all four limbs?
- Anchiornis and Sinosauropteryx
- Anchiornis and Microraptor
- Sinosauropteryx and Microraptor
Which choice pairs each flight idea with its story?
- Ground-up: gliding from branches; trees-down: running and leaping
- Ground-up: flapping in place; trees-down: swimming underwater
- Ground-up: running and leaping; trees-down: gliding from branches
What fossil find would give the ground-up hypothesis its best support?
- A dinosaur with four gliding wings and long tail feathers
- An early bird that already had a short tail and no teeth
- A small fast-running dinosaur with strong legs and arms it could flap for lift
Which list puts the fossils in the lesson's order, from simplest feathers to most bird-like?
- Sinosauropteryx, Microraptor, Archaeopteryx
- Archaeopteryx, Sinosauropteryx, Microraptor
- Microraptor, Archaeopteryx, Sinosauropteryx

Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

From Feathered Dinosaurs to Birds: The Fossil Evidence W1-mt_mqQ-DtH5m--s1

True · Teeth are on the lesson's list of dinosaur traits that no living bird has, so this statement is true.
Anchiornis · Anchiornis had feathers on all four limbs, and scientists found traces of its original colors preserved.
Sinosauropteryx · Sinosauropteryx had short fuzzy filaments, an early feather that kept it warm rather than lifting it into the air.
Microraptor · Microraptor had long feathers on both its arms and legs, giving it four wings total.
Keeping warm and showing off color · Short fuzzy filaments like Sinosauropteryx's could not lift an animal into the air, but they could trap warmth and might have shown off color.
It buried animals quickly and kept fine details, even feathers, in the rock · Volcanic ash buried the animals quickly and preserved tiny details like feathers in the rock.
Anchiornis and Microraptor · Anchiornis and Microraptor each had feathers on all four limbs; Sinosauropteryx had only short fuzzy filaments.
Ground-up: running and leaping; trees-down: gliding from branches · The ground-up idea starts with running and leaping after prey, while the trees-down idea starts with gliding down from branches.
A small fast-running dinosaur with strong legs and arms it could flap for lift · The ground-up idea needs a runner that flapped for lift, so a fast dinosaur with flapping arms fits it best.
Sinosauropteryx, Microraptor, Archaeopteryx · The fossil trail runs from fuzzy Sinosauropteryx to four-winged Microraptor to mixed-feature Archaeopteryx.