一个由我国科学家领导的国际联合古生物学考察队在内蒙古发现一件保存完整的小型兽脚类恐龙化石。这件被命名为“精美临河盗龙”的化石被确定为驰龙类的一个新属种，也是世界上保存最为完好的白垩纪晚期小型肉食龙类标本之一。
科学家表示，“精美临河盗龙”在分类上属于驰龙类，这一类群代表和鸟类亲缘关系最近的恐龙类群之一。因此对这一类群的深入研究将有助于对鸟类起源的理解。这一发现3月19日发表在《动物分类学》（Zootaxa）杂志在线版上。
据介绍，由内蒙古龙昊地质古生物研究所教授谭琳和中科院古脊椎动物与古人类研究所研究员徐星领导的国际联合古生物学考察队于2008年至2009年度对内蒙古临河巴音满都乎地区出露的上白垩统乌兰苏海组地层进行古生物学调查时，发现了这件小型兽脚类恐龙化石。“精美临河盗龙”体长大约2.5米，体重约25公斤，是一个奔跑能力很强，非常敏捷的猎食性恐龙。从演化角度看，它代表后肢细长的原始驰龙类和相对粗壮的进步驰龙类当中的过渡环节。
“精美临河盗龙”生活在大约8000万年前的巴音满都乎地区。由于特异的埋藏方式，这一地区已成为我国白垩纪晚期最重要的恐龙化石点之一。不同于中国境内其他的恐龙化石点，这里的恐龙化石保存在风成岩中，一般推测是白垩纪时期的沙尘暴杀死了恐龙并且埋藏了它们的尸体。因此在这里发现的恐龙化石保存得异常精美，有些甚至保存了恐龙当时的生活姿态。
科学家表示，戈壁地区每年都有大量的化石出露，如果不及时采集就会风化并最终消失。非常幸运的是这件化石被及时发现和采集，为科学研究提供了重要的信息。（生物谷Bioon.com）
Science：撞击理论造成恐龙消亡的强有力证据
Science：恐龙具有彩色羽毛
Nature：首次发现恐龙羽毛颜色的证据
PNAS：北美洲发现迷你食肉恐龙
生物谷推荐原文出处：
Zootaxa 2403: 1–9 (2010) ISSN 1175-5326 (print edition)
A new dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous
Wulansuhai Formation of Inner Mongolia, China
XING XU1, JONAH N. CHOINIERE2, MICHAEL PITTMAN3, QINGWEI TAN4, DONG XIAO5,
ZHIQUAN LI5, LIN TAN4, JAMES M. CLARK2, MARK A. NORELL6, DAVID W. E. HONE1 &
CORWIN SULLIVAN1
1Key Laboratory of Evolutionary Systematics of Vertebrates, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology & Paleoanthropology, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, 142 Xiwai Street, Beijing 100044. E-mail: xu.xing@ivpp.ac.cn
2Department of Biological Sciences, George Washington University, 2023 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, USA
3Department of Earth Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London, WC1E 6BT, UK
4Long Hao Institute of Geology and Paleontology, Hohhot, Nei Mongol 010010, China
5Department of Land and Resources, Linhe, Nei Mongol 015000, China
6Division of Paleontology, American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th St., New York, 10024, USA
We describe a new dromaeosaurid theropod from the Upper Cretaceous Wulansuhai Formation of Bayan Mandahu, Inner
Mongolia. The new taxon, Linheraptor exquisitus gen. et sp. nov., is based on an exceptionally well-preserved, nearly
complete skeleton. This specimen represents the fifth dromaeosaurid taxon recovered from the Upper Cretaceous
Djadokhta Formation and its laterally equivalent strata, which include the Wulansuhai Formation, and adds to the known
diversity of Late Cretaceous dromaeosaurids. Linheraptor exquisitus closely resembles the recently reported Tsaagan
mangas. Uniquely among dromaeosaurids, the two taxa share a large, anteriorly located maxillary fenestra and a contact
between the jugal and the squamosal that excludes the postorbital from the infratemporal fenestra. These features suggest
a sister-taxon relationship between L. exquisitus and T. mangas, which indicates the presence of a unique dromaeosaurid
lineage in the Late Cretaceous of Asia. A number of cranial and dental features seen in L. exquisitus and T. mangas, and
particularly some postcranial features of L. exquisitus, suggest that these two taxa are probably intermediate in
systematic position between known basal and derived dromaeosaurids. The discovery of Linheraptor exquisitus is thus
important for understanding the evolution of some salient features seen in the derived dromaeosaurids.
