Saurornithoides
Saurornithoides mongoliensis
Pronounced: True - don
Diet: Carnivore (Meat-Eater)
Name Means: "Lizard Bird Form"
Length: 6 feet (3 m)
Height: 2 feet (.7 m)
Weight: 66 pounds (30 kilos)
Time: Late Cretaceous - 90 MYA
Fossil remains for this
Dinosaur have been found in
Asia
Saurornithoides was a bird-like dinosaur that lived in Asia and may have had feathers. It was a very close relative of Troodon which lived in North America. These dinosaurs were light, fast and had lots of sharp teeth and claws, making them ferocious hunters.
When first discovered, the long, thin snout of Saurornithoides fooled the field team into thinking it was an ancient bird. Despite over 75 years and at least 4 individual specimens, there is still much debate about this dinosaur's classification. Is it a Troodon How close is this family to the dromaeosaurs? The study of the bird-like dinosaurs is proving to be one of the most exciting and controversial fields in paleontology. |
