Troodon
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Troödon formosus was a relatively small, bird-like
dinosaur from the late
Cretaceous Period (68-65
MYA). Discovered in
1855, it was among the first dinosaurs found in
North America, and is believed to have been one of the most intelligent.
Characteristics
- Troödon is Greek for "wounding tooth", and refers to the dinosaur's sharp teeth with serrated edges
- T. formosus was around 2m in length and 1m tall, and weighed 60kg
- Diet consisted of smaller animals, including mammals
- Had one of the largest known brains of any dinosaur relative to its body mass (comparable to modern birds)
- Eyes were large (suggesting nocturnal activity) and slightly forward facing, giving T. formosus some depth perception
- T. formosus' long arms folded back like a birds', and its hands possessed partially opposable thumbs
- Had large, sickle-shaped claws on its second toes which were raised off the ground when running. This claw is common in the superfamily Tyrannosauridae, to which T. formosus belongs
Classification
- Kingdom Animalia
- Phylum Chordata
- Class Archosauria
- Order Saurischia
- Suborder Theropoda
- Infraorder Avetheropoda
- Parvorder Coelurosauria
- Superfamily Tyrannosauridae
References
