Fossils of a Sinosauropteryx prima, found in China, are of a theropod dinosaur with what appears to be feathers. At first, scientists believed feathers ran down the dinosaur’s back. Upon closer study, it is now thought the animal actually had feather-like structures. The reason for this arrangement is debated. Some scientists believe the structures were used for movement; other scientists believe they were probably protofeathers, an early step toward the evolution of bird feathers. The Sinosauropteryx is one of the “Chinese feathered” dinosaurs and is a more recent evolutionary development than the Archaeopteryx. Some scientists believe they are one of the most primitive coelurasaurs, as seen from their skeletal features.