Showing posts with label Extinct. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Extinct. Show all posts

23 July 2010

Tiny Dinos!

What's the smallest dinosaur ever? Well, it's kind of hard to tell, because the fossils that are found aren't always full adults. However, a couple of dinosaurs vie for the position: The smallest well known dinosaur is Microraptor, which is essentially a tiny version of the already small velociraptor we know and love (not anything like Jurassic Park led us to believe). It was about 16 inches long and 2.2 lbs (~1 kg). As small as that is, it doesn't compare to the tiny Epidexipteryx (shown here), which is known only from a single partial fossil and was described in 2008. It is only about 10 inches long and is estimated to weigh 164 g (that's 0.36 lb). Yes, that's about the size of your average hamster, and yes, I want a herd of them as well.



Additional Links:

BBC News: New Feathered Dinosaurs Discovered

The Hairy Museum of Natural History: Epidexipteryx hui

Dino-Bird from China Gives Clues to Bird Evolution