The Four-Winged Dinosaur

I recently watched a very interesting documentary called The Four-Winged Dinosaur. Let me tell you, it made for very intriguing viewing. It's the kind of presentation that pulls you in as you follow researchers on a journey to discovery. I love documentaries that take me into the inner circle of people who do a lot of their work away from any spotlight and then one day their findings are reported to the world.

                                 

In The Four-Winged Dinosaur, we are able to follow along with scientists who are studying the recent discovery of one of the smallest dinosaurs ever found. It's a four-winged, feathered creature called Microraptor that had wings like a bird and yet the wings were on its arms and legs. Scientists have unearthed fossils that have preserved what remains of this unusual creature. It's a tough job for scientists because in the process of fossilization, some of the specimens have been crushed and distorted.

I have read over the years about the connections between birds and dinosaurs and this creature seems to be some kind of link. The documentary mentions how scientists have studied the origins of birds and flight and how many believe that birds evolved from dinosaurs many millions of years ago. Determining how this happened has been a great mystery though and scientists think that perhaps the Microraptor may be a real link between the two.

It's very interesting to delve into the mystery along with the scientists as they go on their quest for answers. It's a fascinating viewing experience.

The Four-Winged Dinosaur premieres on PBS America tonight in the UK at 7:50pm on Sky channel 534 and Virgin Media channel 243 and again at 11:15pm.

*Disclaimer: I was sent a copy of this documentary for review. All opinions are mine.