Sparrow-sized raptor Dromaeosauriformipes rarus used its wings to glide

[boingboing]

Originally published at: Sparrow-sized raptor used its wings to glide

…

[MikeR]

That’s adorable! And possibly terrifying. But I’m going with adorable for now.

[rightside-up]

Obligs:

Holy Grail - Killer Bunny

[Murgatroyd]

[Otherbrother]

@boingboing

To make such strides using only hindlimbs, the authors of the 2018 paper calculated that the little biped must have been moving at 38 kilometers per hour—roughly 10.5 meters per second, faster than sprinter Usain Bolt’s world-record 100-meter dash.

That grabbed the attention of paleontologist Alexander Dececchi of Dakota State University and lead author of the new paper. “How would this work?” he said. “Well, there’s only one way—and that’s if the wings are helping them.”

These researchers may be correct, but I’ll just note that a roadrunner can run at about 42 kilometers per hour without using its wings, so it doesn’t seem impossible that a small bipedal raptor could get going that fast.