Smallest Known North American Dinosaur was discovered by Canadian Researchers. This dinosaur was a carnivore that roamed the area in the continent 75 million years ago, and weighing less than most modern day house cat. Name of this dinosaur is Hesperonychus elizabethae, a 2 kg creature with razor-like claws, ran through the swamps and forests of southeastern Alberta, Canada, during the late Cretaceous period.
The possibility it is a small dinosaur hunted insects, small mammals and other prey, and even baby dinosaurs. It's basically a predator of small things. The clawed dinosaur was slight, ran on two legs and had dagger-like teeth. It had an enlarged sickle-shaped claw on its second toe.
Although fossilized remains of Hesperonychus were collected in 1982, they remained unstudied until Longrich came across them in the University of Alberta's collection in 2007, the university said. Because of their size, some of the fossilized parts had been thought to be from juveniles.
Longrich said he suspected the claws had come from another, smaller adult species, but said finding a fossilized pelvis in which the hip bones were fused -- which happens only once an animal is fully grown -- convinced him.
"The claws were kind of a bread-crumb trail that we followed along," until finding the well-preserved pelvis, Longrich said.
Longrich came across the dinosaur's bones in storage at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller and decided to analyze them, Canadian Broadcasting Company reported in September. A dinosaur smaller than Hesperonychus has been found in China, Longrich said.
He said he found searching through museums' storage more productive in the short term than working in the field.
The possibility it is a small dinosaur hunted insects, small mammals and other prey, and even baby dinosaurs. It's basically a predator of small things. The clawed dinosaur was slight, ran on two legs and had dagger-like teeth. It had an enlarged sickle-shaped claw on its second toe.
Although fossilized remains of Hesperonychus were collected in 1982, they remained unstudied until Longrich came across them in the University of Alberta's collection in 2007, the university said. Because of their size, some of the fossilized parts had been thought to be from juveniles.
Longrich said he suspected the claws had come from another, smaller adult species, but said finding a fossilized pelvis in which the hip bones were fused -- which happens only once an animal is fully grown -- convinced him.
"The claws were kind of a bread-crumb trail that we followed along," until finding the well-preserved pelvis, Longrich said.
Longrich came across the dinosaur's bones in storage at the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller and decided to analyze them, Canadian Broadcasting Company reported in September. A dinosaur smaller than Hesperonychus has been found in China, Longrich said.
He said he found searching through museums' storage more productive in the short term than working in the field.