3 euros AUSTRIA 2022 - Microraptor Gui

3 euros AUSTRIA 2022 - Microraptor Gui

Like all groups of animals, dinosaurs came in all shapes and sizes. Weighing only one kilogram and no larger than a chicken, Microraptor gui was the smallest of all. Despite having wings and feathers, the subject of the tenth coin in the spectacular Supersaurs series was not a bird, but a real dinosaur dating back to the early Cretaceous period about 120 million years ago.

We know this because numerous well-preserved fossil specimens of Microraptor have been found in lakebed deposits in China's Liaoning province. Preserved in mud, the dinosaur remains were protected from oxygen and scavengers and therefore provided paleontologists with a rare and fascinating glimpse into prehistoric life. Even the dinosaur's feathers were clearly visible, forming a stripe around the skull, along the neck before merging with the long wing feathers. The long elongated tail also culminated in a fan of feathers, two of which were particularly long. Microraptor gui is also one of the few dinosaurs whose feather color can be measured. Although it was not a bird, Microraptor provides important evidence for the evolutionary relationship between birds and the first dinosaurs.

To the right of the reverse of the coin, a Microraptor graphical user interface printed in color is shown in a forest landscape, clawing at the trunk of a tree; On the left, a flying Microraptor chases a dragonfly. The obverse of the coin shows the silhouette of the 12 prehistoric animals from the Supersaurs series. All 3 euro coins in the series are legal tender in Austria.