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Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

We have the impression that dinosaurs were large and bulky animals, fierce in nature, and ruled the earth for tens of millions of years before humans. However, in the archaeological excavations, we found that not all dinosaurs are very large, there are also "small people" in them, let's take a look at thirteen kinds of pocket dinosaurs

In our traditional view, dinosaurs are mostly large and fierce, waiting to pounce on their prey at any time. However, in fact, the members in the dinosaur world also have different body types, the following is for netizens to take stock of thirteen kinds of pocket dinosaurs, subvert your impression of dinosaurs.

Rock Temple Anhui South Dragon

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Wannanosaurus yansiensis belongs to the Pachycephalosauridae family and lived in Anhui Province, China, in the Late Cretaceous period.

The length of the Iwaji-Anhui-Nanlong may have been only sixty centimeters long and the femur length was only 7 to 9 centimeters, so paleontologists believe that the Rock Temple-Anhui-Nanlong may have been the smallest known suborder dinosaur of the swollen-headed dragon.

Iwaji Wannanlong and other suborder dinosaurs with thicker skulls and small, dense bony spines at the edges of the skulls suggest that male suborder dinosaurs may have had the opportunity to mate with females during the breeding season by fighting each other.

Distant little chiron

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Parvicursor remotus belongs to the theropoda Alvarezsauroidea, which lived in Late Cretaceous Mongolia.

The body length of the distant chiosaurus was less than forty centimeters, and the length of the femur was only 5.26 centimeters. The forelimbs of the Avaraurus superfamily dinosaurs were generally short, with the second and third fingers degenerating, with only a developing first finger, and paleontologists speculated that the distant Chironae might have used its claws to dig up hard termite mounds.

Short feathers begin with Chinese feathers

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Eosinopteryx brevipenna belonged to the theropod suborder Troodontidae , which lived in The Middle Jurassic Province , China. The fossils of the short-feathered Chinese feathered dragon not only preserve the complete skeleton fossils, but also preserve the feather imprints.

With a body length of only 30 cm, a skull length of only 4.32 cm, and a femur length of only 4.85 cm, it is one of the smallest non-avian dinosaurs known today. Paleontologists have found that unlike other basal dinosaurs of the same period, the short-feathered Chinese feathered dragon did not have very long flying feathers on the hind limbs and may be better at running than its peers.

Hearsaurus

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Anchiornis huxleyi belonged to the theropod suborder " Ornithiscus " , a close relative of the short-feathered Chinese feathered dragon , who also lived in The Middle Jurassic Province of China. Histnithosaurus was less than forty centimeters long, had a femur length of only 4.32 to 6.62 centimeters, and weighed only 110 grams.

In 2010, scientists from different fields in China and the United States formed a research team to study the fossils of Hesperus, and finally restored the feather color of Hesseosaurus by measuring and statistically restoring the size, length and shape of the melanoid body preserved by the Fossils of Hesch.

Ningcheng tree resting dragon

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Epidendrosaurus ningchengensis belongs to the theropod suborder Scansoriopterygidae, which lived in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China during the Middle Jurassic, and paleontologists speculate that this dinosaur may have been a tree-dwelling animal.

The body length of the Ningcheng tree dragon is less than 20 centimeters, but paleontologists speculate that the fossils found so far may still be juveniles, so the adult body length of the adult Ningcheng tree dragon is uncertain. The second finger of most theropod dinosaurs was the longest finger, while the third finger of the Ningcheng tree dragon was the longest finger and twice as long as the second finger.

It was named by Chinese paleontologists in 2002, and soon after another group of paleontologists named Scansoriopteryx heilmanni based on other specimens, but it was soon pointed out that Hexhoptera was actually a sub-synonym for "Hesseosaurus" and should be abolished.

Hu's Yaolong

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Epidexipteryx hui belongs to the theropod suborder Diplodocus and lived in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China during the Middle Jurassic. Hu's Yaolong and Ningcheng Tree Dragon are very close, but the length of their tail vertebrae is different, the length of Hu's Yaolong's tail vertebrae is only 70% of the body, while the Length of Ningcheng Tree Dragon is 300%.

The body length of Hu's Yaolong was only about twenty-five centimeters, but it had four tail feathers that exceeded twenty centimeters, and paleontologists speculated that Hu's Yaolong had only 164 grams.

Patagonia rat dragon

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Mussaurus patagonicus belonged to the protosauropoda suborder Sauropodomorpha, which lived in Argentina in the Late Triassic.

Paleontologists have found only larvae and egg fossils of Patagonian rats, which are only about twenty to forty centimeters long, but paleontologists speculate that adult Patagonia rats may have been more than three meters long.

Haw's Europa Dragon

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Europasaurus holgeri belonged to the Sauropoda macronaria and lived in northern Germany during the Late Jurassic.

Fossils of Europaurus Hautiana found by paleontologists include more than 11 individuals belonging to different stages of development, with body lengths ranging from 1.7 m to 6.3 m. Because fossils of Hau's Europaurus were native to marine carbonate formations, these dinosaurs may have inhabited the islands and formed dwarf species due to the isolated environment of the islands.

Dacia Mazar dragon

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Magyarosaurus dacus belonged to the sauropod suborder Titanosauria and lived in Late Cretaceous Romania. Dacia Magyarosaurus was only six meters long, while its close relatives Argentinosaurus huinculensis and Puertasaurus reuili were over forty meters long.

Geologists believe that Late Cretaceous Europe was covered by a shallow sea, and that what is now Romania is located on an island known as Hatzeg Island. Paleontologists believe that because of the isolated environment of the island, Dacia Magyarosaurus formed a dwarf species that was much smaller than its inbreeds on the continent.

Dacia Magyarosaurus was first discovered by Baron Franz Nopcsa, a Transylvanian (now Romanian) nobleman known as the "Dinosaur Baron" who worked for austria-Hungary as a spy during the First World War and made important paleontological ideas.

Hajafruta Tooth Dragon

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Fruitadens haagarorum belonged to the Ornithischia heterodontosauridae and lived in the Late Jurassic state of Colorado, USA.

Paleontologists speculate that Hajafrutaluta was only sixty-five centimeters to seventy-five centimeters long and weighed 500 to 750 grams, making it one of the smallest ornithopod dinosaurs known. Hagaflutaosaurus and other allodonosaur dinosaurs had canine teeth on their upper and lower jaws, and paleontologists believe that canine teeth could be used for fighting and self-defense.

Strange Liaoning Dragon

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Liaoningosaurus paradoxus belonged to the Ankylosauria family Nodosauridae and lived in The Pre-Cretaceous Chinese province of Liaoning.

The body length of the strange Liaoning dragon is only about thirty-four centimeters, but paleontologists believe that the fossils found so far may belong to juveniles, so the adult strange Liaoning dragon may be larger.

Sucking hummingbirds

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Mellisuga helenae belongs to the order Apodiformes of the order Aves and lives in Cuba. Hummingbirds can flap their wings 80 times per second and are able to hover in the air by rapidly flapping their wings.

The hummingbird is only 5 to 6 cm long and weighs 1.8 grams. Most paleontologists currently agree that birds originated from the theropod dinosaurs of theropods, so dinosaurs also include birds, and honey-sucking birds are the smallest dinosaurs.

Mosch griffin horned dragon

Pocket Dinosaurs: The smallest dinosaur you would never expect

Gryphoceratops morrisoni belonged to the Ceratopsia family Leptoceratopsidae and lived in Alberta, Canada, in the Late Cretaceous. Only one fossil of the jaw of The griffin horned apatosaurus has been found, and paleontologists speculate that the dinosaur was only fifty centimeters long.

Paleontologists believe that the predentary articular surface of the mandibular fossil of the Griffin's horned dragon reached half the length of the mandibular and therefore may have been an adult individual. Therefore, paleontologists believe that The Griffin Horned Dragon was not only the smallest known suborder of Horned Dragon, but also one of the smallest known ornithopod dinosaurs.

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