both arboreal and aquatic habitats. Both of these studies regarded each gut contents as instances of predation. However, Hone and colleagues (2022) questioned the reliability of these interpretations and wrote that both could just as equally be attributed to scavenging. Further, they argued against Microraptor being a specialist in either or both arboreal or aquatic hunting, citing the broad range of vertebrate gut contents (i.e. fish, mammals, lizards, birds) as evidence for a generalist hunting strategy, and that neither required that Microraptor being a specialist for hunting in either habitats. In 2019, a new genus of scleroglossan lizard (Indrasaurus) was described from a specimen found in the stomach of a Microraptor. The Microraptor apparently swallowed its prey head first, a behavior typical of modern carnivorous birds and lizards. The Indrasaurus bones lacked marked pitting and scarring, indicating that the Microraptor died shortly after eating the lizard and before significant digestion had occurred. Unlike its fellow paravian Anchiornis, Microraptor has never been found with gastric pellets, despite the existence of four Microraptor specimens that preserve stomach contents. This suggests that Microraptor passed indigestible fur, feathers, and bits of bone in its droppings instead of producing pellets. Based on the size of the scleral ring of the eye, it has been suggested Microraptor hunted at night. However, the discovery of iridescent plumage in Microraptor has cast doubt on this conclusion, as no modern birds that have iridescent plumage are known to be nocturnal. See also Timeline of dromaeosaurid research References External links Dromaeosauridae, Relationship with birds A model of Microraptor/Cryptovolans pauli by Boban Filipovic Jacqui Hayes: Bird wings evolved from biplane dinosaurs COSMOS magazine The Four-Winged Dinosaur - PBS website for the Nova documentary NewScientist Microraptor's glossy black feather coat reconstructed nationalgeographic.com 2012-03-08 Ed Yong, A shiny dinosaur four-winged Microraptor gets color and gloss nationalgeographic.com 2008-10-08 Ed Yong, Microraptor–the dinosaur that flew like a biplane Jiufotang fauna Early Cretaceous dinosaurs of Asia Microraptorians Feathered dinosaurs Fossil taxa described in 2000 Animal flight