Mei (dinosaur)
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| Mei Fossil range: Early Cretaceous |
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 A model of Mei at the Field Museum
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M. long Xu & Norell, 2004 (type) |
Mei (from Chinese 寐 mèi soundly sleeping) is a genus of duck-sized troodontid dinosaur first unearthed by paleontologists in Liaoning, China in 2004. Mei lived during the Early Cretaceous Period. Its binomial name, Mei long (Chinese 寐 mèi and 龙 lóng) means dragon, soundly sleeping.
The type fossil is complete and exceptionally well preserved in three-dimensional detail, with the snout nestled beneath one of the forelimbs, similar to the roosting position of modern birds. This posture provides another behavioral link between birds and dinosaurs.[1] The chemistry of the matrix stone and the resting pose indicate the living animal was probably buried instantly in volcanic ash.
Mei has the shortest genus name of any dinosaur, surpassing the previous record-holders Minmi, an ankylosaur discovered in Australia, and Khaan, an oviraptorid from Mongolia.
[edit] In popular culture
Mei long were featured in the third episode of the ITV series Prehistoric Park, where they were depicted attacking a member of the fictional documentary crew, looking for the food in his pack. On the show, several M. long were later found dead near a volcano, suffocated by the toxic gasses.[2] The documentary depicted the real-life positions in which the fossils were discovered, with a bird-like posture.
[edit] References
- ^ Xu and Norell, (2004). "A new troodontid dinosaur from China with avian-like sleeping posture." Nature, 431: 838-841.
- ^ Animal Planet: Prehistoric Park. Discovery Communications (2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-21.
[edit] External links
- Troodontidae from Thescelosaurus
