Drag to rotate the Microraptor, scroll or pinch to zoom, and click a body part - a feathered forelimb, a hind limb, or the tail fan - to read what fossils tell us about it. The panel beside the model carries the real figures.
Microraptor was a crow-sized, four-winged feathered dinosaur from Early Cretaceous China; turn on the human figure to see how a person compares to its body.
The colors and skin here are an artistic reconstruction; fossils preserve bone and feather impressions, not living soft-tissue color in every case. This model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton. The measurements in the panel follow published estimates, with ranges shown where sources disagree.
Microraptor 3D Viewer
This page renders a Microraptor as a 3D model you can spin in the browser - drag to rotate, scroll or pinch to zoom, toggle a 1.8 m person beside it for scale, and click a forelimb, hind limb, or the tail to read a fact about that part.
Microraptor lived in the Early Cretaceous, about 125 to 120 million years ago, in Liaoning, China. Adults were about 0.8 m long (M. gui holotype about 77 cm) and about 0.5 to 1.5 kg. Long flight feathers on the arms and legs make it a four-winged dinosaur central to debates about early aerial locomotion.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Length | about 0.8 m (holotype M. gui about 77 cm) |
| Standing height | about 0.2-0.3 m at the hips |
| Weight | about 0.5-1.5 kg (NHM directory about 1 kg) |
| When it lived | 125-120 million years ago (Early Cretaceous) |
| Diet | Carnivore (small animals; fish and lizards in some specimens) |
Everything runs on your device with WebGL - no account, nothing sent to a server. Soft-tissue color is an artistic reconstruction; this model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton. Figures above are published values with ranges where sources disagree.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Microraptor called four-winged?
Fossils preserve long flight feathers on the arms and on the legs. That hind-limb feathering is the key difference from larger ground raptors such as Velociraptor or Deinonychus on this site.
How big was Microraptor?
About crow-sized: roughly 0.8 m long and about 0.5 to 1.5 kg. The Natural History Museum directory lists about 0.8 m and 1 kg. Turn on the human figure to see the scale against a 1.8 m person.
When and where did it live?
In the Early Cretaceous, about 125 to 120 million years ago, in Liaoning, China (Jehol biota / Jiufotang Formation).
Could it fly or only glide?
Researchers disagree on the details. Experiments and anatomy suggest aerial locomotion was possible; some work favors gliding, and other studies argue for powered flight capability. This page states the four-winged evidence without picking a single flight mode as proven.
Is the model scientifically accurate?
The proportions follow published figures, but soft-tissue color is an artistic reconstruction. This model is not a fossil-accurate skeleton. Length, weight, and age figures are real published values, with ranges cited because sources vary.
Do I need to install anything to view it?
No. The model renders in your browser with WebGL - no app, no account, and nothing about your visit is sent to a server. When available, a free-licensed glTF model may swap in after first paint.