As we await the first episode of the exciting Apple TV + series “Prehistoric Planet” with its cornucopia of feathered dinosaurs we thought we would post up one of our favourite dromaeosaur illustrations – Zhenyuanlong suni by Zhao Chuang.

Dromaeosaurs a Plenty

The five-part documentary television series “Prehistoric Planet” will feature a variety of small, feathered dinosaurs including troodontids and dromaeosaurs. These animals will not be shown tackling large prey but reflecting behaviour as inferred by the fossil record and seen in their living, close relatives the birds.

Viewers can expect to see many of the prehistoric animals that have been so beautifully illustrated by the incredibly talented Chinese artist Zhao Chuang brought to life thanks to ground-breaking CGI and state-of-the-art puppetry.

For models and replicas of dromaeosaurs including articulated models of Zhenyuanlong suni (whilst stocks last): Beasts of the Mesozoic Models and Figures.

Lots of Feathered Dinosaurs

Steve Brusatte, (School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh), a co-author of the scientific paper describing Z. suni, is one of the scientific consultants involved in the BBC/Apple TV + documentary series. Viewers can expect to see plenty of feathered dinosaurs, although Zhenyuanlong suni will not feature.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“The five television programmes will focus on different ecosystems that flourished during the Late Cretaceous. Whilst there are many genera of small, feathered dinosaurs including numerous troodontid and dromaeosaurid taxa featured in the programmes, Zhenyuanlong suni lived during the Early Cretaceous. It had been extinct for tens of millions of years prior to the time in which these programmes are set.”

To read Everything Dinosaur’s original blog post announcing the discovery of a large-bodied dromaeosaur from the famous Liaoning Province of China: New Winged Dragon from Liaoning Province.

Zhenyuanlong suni Scientific Paper

The scientific paper: “A large, short-armed, winged dromaeosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of China and its implications for feather evolution” by Junchang Lü and Stephen L. Brusatte published in the journal Scientific Reports.