This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
I wonder how paleoartists would have illustrated Caihong juji if the dinosaur had been found at a different time, or if it had been stripped of its feathers. A mid-20th century model probably would have come across like old illustrations of Ornitholestes. An 80s or 90s version would have undoubtedly been a wiry raptor, agile but with scaly skin hewn close to the body. Those are interpretations we'll never see, but that's alright. What we've got is a feathery dinosaur restored in glorious living color.
We're quite used to feathery non-avian dinosaurs by now - maybe even inured to it - but the vision of Caihong by artist Velizar Simeonovski is stunning. Not only does it depict the 161 million-year-old dinosaur wearing its exquisite plumage, but the detailed scientific work by Dongyu Hu, Julia Clarke, and colleagues have revealed that Caihong had black plumage with bright, iridescent patches around the head, chest, and base of the tail. That's quite a fashion statement, especially when considering that Caihong also had a bony crest atop its head. Clearly dinosaurian flashiness was not a matter of either bony ornaments or striking feathers. It could be both.
Name: Caihong juji
On supporting science journalism
If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.
Meaning: Caihong is Mangarin for rainbow, juji means "big crest."
Age: Jurassic, around 161 million years ago.
Where in the world?: Hebei Province, China.
What sort of organism?: A paravian dinosaur.
How much of the organism’s is known?: A nearly-complete skeleton and feathers on a slab/counterslab.
References:
Hu, D., Clarke, J., Eliason, C., Qiu, R., Li, Q., Shawkey, M., Zhao, C., D'Alba, L., Jiang, J., Xu, X. 2018. A bony-crested Jurassic dinosaur with evidence of iridescent plumage highlights complexity in early paravian evolution. Nature Communications. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-02515-y
More Paleo Profiles:
The Light-Footed Lizard The Maoming Cat Knight’s Egyptian Bat The La Luna Snake The Rio do Rasto Tooth Bob Weir's Otter Egypt's Canine Beast The Vastan Mine Tapir Pangu's Wing The Dawn Megamouth The Genga Lizard The Micro Lion The Mystery Titanosaur The Echo Hunter The Lo Hueco Titan The Three-Branched Cicada The Monster of Minden The Pig-Footed Bandicoot Hayden's Rattlesnake Demon The Evasive Ostrich Seer The Paradoxical Mega Shark The Tiny Beardogs The Armored Fish King North America's Pangolin The Invisible-Tusked Elephant The Mud Dragon The Spike-Toothed Salmon The Dream Coast Crocodile Buriol's Robber Ozimek's Flyer The Northern Naustoceratopsian The High Arctic Flyer The Tomatillo From the End of the World The Short-Faced Hyena The Mighty Traveler from Egg Mountain Keilhau's Ichthyosaur Mexico's Ancient Horned Face Mauricio Fernández's Plesiosaur New Zealand's Giant Dawn Penguin The Orange Sea Lion Mongolia's Ginkgo Cousin The Geni River Frog Isabel Berry's Dinosaur The Whale Caiman The Moab Lizard Yang Zhongjian's Lizard The Little Anubis The Shuangbai Lizard The Wyvern Dinosaur The "Need Helmet" Dinosaur The Jianianhua Dragon The Liaoning Hunter The Dalian Lizard Crompton's Aleodon Jenkins' Amphibian Serpent From the Chinle The Large Ancestor Lizard The Crown Tooth Currie's Alberta Hunter The Elephant Bird Mimic The Crested Thief The Hiding Hunter The Horned Lizard The Silk Bird The Sieve-Toothed Plesiosaur The Defenseless Snout Burian's Lizard The Small Whaitsiid The Beautiful Bird The Fierce Cat The Older One From Melksham The King of the Miocene Iberian Giraffes Miera's Lizard The Traveling Sloth The Sand Whale Shouten's Marsupial Lion The Rhaetian Lizard The Mountain Dolphin The Bryant's Shark