Saurornithoides

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Saurornithoides
Fossil range: Late Cretaceous

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Theropoda
Family:	Troodontidae
Genus:	Saurornithoides Osborn, 1924

Species

S. mongoliensis Osborn, 1924 (type)
S. junior Barsbold, 1974

Saurornithoides (pronounced /ˌsɔrɔrnɨˈθɔɪdiːz/ SAWR-or-nih-THOY-deez) is a genus of troodontid maniraptoran dinosaur, living during the Late Cretaceous Period. These creatures were predators, which could run fast on their hind legs and had excellent sight and hearing. The name is derived from the Greek stems sauros (lizard), ornithos (bird) and oid (form), an appropriate name for a creature close to the ancestry of birds.

Saurornithoides, like others in its family, was probably predominantly carnivorous. Estimates of its length range from two to three meters (seven to ten feet) and weight from 23 to 54 kilograms (50 to 120 lb). It had large eye sockets and stereoscopic vision, allowing for good depth perception. It probably had good vision in light and very good night vision. It had a long, low head, a depressed muzzle, sharp teeth and a relatively large brain. Swift and smart, like its North American cousin Troodon, Sauronrnithoides probably scoured the Gobi Desert, looking for small mammals or reptiles to eat. Scientists speculate that it used its long 'arms' and grasping 'hands' to seize live prey, which would have consisted of small animals. Like other troodontids, it had an especially large claw on the second toe of each foot.

Fossils of this theropod have been found in Mongolia. Saurornithoides was named by paleontologist Osborn in 1924. The type species is S. mongoliensis.^[1]