Sinornithoides

Sinornithoides
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 125 Ma
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Reptilia
Superorder: Dinosauria
Order: Saurischia
Suborder: Theropoda
Infraorder: Deinonychosauria
Family: Troodontidae
Genus: Sinornithoides
Russell & Dong, 1993
Species
  • S. youngi Russell & Dong, 1993 (type)

Sinornithoides (meaning "Chinese bird form") is a genus of troodontid theropod dinosaur. It lived during the Early Cretaceous (Barremian stage, around 130 125 million years ago). It measured approximately 1 meter long (3 ft). It lived in Inner Mongolia, China, and probably ate invertebrates and other small prey.

Sinornithoides youngi, the type species, was described in 1993 by Dale Russell and Dong Zhiming based on a fossil specimen from the Ejinhoro Formation.[1] It is represented by a holotype which is articulated and nearly complete except for the roof of the skull and the cervical and dorsal vertebrae, along with some other referred skeletal elements. The holotype is preserved in much the same roosting position as another troodontid fossil, that of Mei long, with its snout tucked under its left hand.[2]

References

  1. ^ Russell, D. and Dong, Z. (1993). "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: 2163-2173.
  2. ^ Currie, P. and Dong, Z. (2001). "New information on Cretaceous troodontids from the People's Republic of China." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 38: 1753–1766. DOI: 10.1139/cjes-38-12-1753

External links