The below is an exclusive interview conducted with Dr. Luis Chiappe, the Director of the Dinosaur Institute at the Museum of Natural History. He spoke with us about a newly-discovered four-winged dinosaur called the Changyuraptor. You can read more here.

1. Where and how was the fossil found and determined to have four wings?

Found in China some 2 years ago—discovered local farmers.

What would be the pros and cons of having four feathery wings rather than two?

It is just a different design. How exactly it worked is controversial.

What would be the pros and cons of having the long, feathery tail of the Changyuraptor?

The tail generated a more limited amount of lift but it helped slowing down and enhanced flight control (controlling the pitch).

Why was the Changyuraptor determined to be a bird-like dinosaur rather than a bird, and what separates the two?

There are a number of anatomical features in the skull, tail, pelvis, and forelimbs that clearly show it was a close relative of dinosaurs such as Microraptor and Velociraptor—not a bird.

Where would the Changyuraptor have fit on the food chain?

A modest predator—eating small mammals, birds, and lizards, and the occasional fish, but food for larger carnivorous dinosaurs.

How does the discovery of the Changyuraptor affect our knowledge of that time period?

It expands the limits, in terms of size, of dinosaur flight. It tells us that at an early junction in the origin of feathered flight, dinosaurs of relatively large sizes were able to take to the air.