Caihong

rainbow

• Caihong · Mandarin Chinese · rainbow

Caihong is the Mandarin Chinese word for "rainbow". The name was chosen because the fossil preserves melanosomes (pigment structures) in its feathers that resemble those of modern iridescent birds such as hummingbirds. This suggests the animal had shimmering, rainbow-like plumage. The species name juji refers to its pair of bony crests on the snout.

Named by

Hu et al.

Year named

2018

Period

Late Jurassic

Stage

Oxfordian

Found in

Tiaojishan Formation, Hebei Province, China

Small feathered paravian theropod, usually placed among the early paravians close to troodontids and anchiornithids. The type species is Caihong juji. It had asymmetrical, pennaceous feathers on the arms and tail, and a pair of crests on the snout. The exact stage of the Tiaojishan Formation is approximate.