Sinornithoides

Sy-no-nif-oy-deez.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Sinornithoides ‭(‬Chinese bird form‭)‬.

Phonetic

Sy-no-nif-oy-deez.

Named By

D.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Russell‭ & ‬Z.-M.‭ ‬Dong‭ ‬-‭ ‬1994.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Troodontidae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

S.‭ ‬youngi‭

Size

About‭ ‬1‭ ‬meter long,‭ ‬but holotype is of a subadult,‭ ‬a fully grown adult would likely be slightly larger.

Known locations

China‭ ‬-‭ ‬Zhonggou Formation.

Time Period

Aptian‭? ‬of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

At least one almost complete specimen of a subadult.

In Depth

       Sinornithoides is a genus of small troodontid dinosaur that lived in China during the early Cretaceous.‭ ‬The holotype individual of this genus,‭ ‬a subadult,‭ ‬was found in a nesting position with its head tucked under its left arm,‭ ‬very similar to how another small troodontid named Mei was found.‭ ‬This may indicate that most,‭ ‬maybe even all troodontids slept in such a manner,‭ ‬and again illustrates how close some varieties of dinosaurs were to the birds.‭ ‬As a small and fast troodontid dinosaur,‭ ‬Sinornithoides would have been a predator of small animals such as smaller lizards and mammals,‭ ‬and perhaps even larger insects.‭ ‬One point of note about Sinornithoides,‭ ‬is that the sickle claw on the second toe of the feet is proportionately quite large when compared to other troodontids.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A nearly complete skeleton of a new troodontid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of the Ordos Basin,‭ ‬Inner Mongolia,‭ ‬People’s Republic of China.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences‭ ‬30‭(‬10-11‭)‬:2163-2173.‭ ‬-‭ ‬D.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Russell‭ & ‬Z.-M.‭ ‬Dong‭ ‬-‭ ‬1994.

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