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China’s Feathered Dinosaurs
Side view of Caudipteryx skull
showing its beak
CLOSE WINDOW
the main line of avian evolution. It has, for example, a relatively short tail and unusually short
arms for a maniraptor. It also has only a few small teeth at the tip of its upper jaws, and may have
had a partial beak. This combination—tooth reduction combined with beak formation—
has arisen several times in dinosaur evolution, including at least three times within flying dinosaurs.
Such changes in jaw structure may reflect a shift in dietary preferences away from large prey items.