Main content

Feathered Dragons

The second episode of the documentary series takes a look at bizarre and extraordinary feathered dinosaurs, many of which have only just been discovered.

The second episode of the documentary series takes a look at bizarre and extraordinary feathered dinosaurs, many of which have only just been discovered. These feathered beasts are revolutionising our understanding of life on Earth as they blur the boundaries between what we know of dinosaurs and birds.

China sits at the heart of the feathered dinosaur discoveries and is the home of one of the most unusual discoveries on Earth: the epidexipteryx. Only the size of a pigeon, this predator was the most bird-like of any dinosaur and is the first known case of ornamental feathers.

But feathers were not just confined to the small. From caudipteryx to sinosauropteryx and the eight-metre-long gigantoraptor, feathers may have been used for flight, for insulation or even to attract. These dinosaurs not only hint at how animals might have developed flight, but also suggest that dinosaurs may still live among us today - as birds.

Available now

29 minutes

Audio described

Clips

Credits

Role Contributor
Narrator John Hurt
Executive Producer Andrew Cohen
Series Producer Nigel Paterson
Director Nigel Paterson

Broadcasts