One of the most interesting developments in paleontology in the last ten years has been the near irrefutable proof that birds evolved from small, feathered theropod dinosaurs, and are, therefore, dinosaurs themselves. A beautiful quarry in China has rendered up some beautiful fossils, including that of Microraptor zhaoianus, a small dromaeosaur with flight feathers on its arms and legs.

Dromaeosaurs are erroneously referred to as "raptors," in large part due to the Jurassic Park movie. Dromaeosaurs include utahraptor, deinonychus, velociraptor, dromaeosaurus, etc. They're the cool little beasties with the sickle-claw on the hind food.

I love this artist's impression of microraptor:

Sometimes I feel like my own pet dinosaur, a parrot named Gabby (Amazona ochrecephala oratrix), could star in a Jurassic Park movie. He's vicious enough, but you gotta love him! For some reason, he became fixated on an "evil" blue towel and went out of his way to kill it. Here's my own little relation to the dromaeosaurs, proving he's as mean as any velociraptor:

Gabby eyes the evil blue towel:

Gabby displays at the evil blue towel:

Gabby advances on the evil blue towel:

Gabby DESTROYS the evil blue towel:

Is it dead???