Microraptor zhaoianus is a genus of small, dromaeosaurid dinosaur. About two dozen well-preserved fossil specimens have been recovered from Liaoning, China. They date from the early Cretaceous, 120 million years ago.Microraptor provides important evidence about the evolutionary relationship between birds and dinosaurs. With adult specimens ranging 42?83 centimeters (1.4?2.7 ft) long, and with a weight estimated at up to 1 kilogram, Microraptor was among the smallest known dinosaurs.
