Miniature carnivore dinosaurs roamed North America (the size of a small chicken)

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 3/17/09 | Jean-Louis Santini

[NormsRevenge]

WASHINGTON (AFP) – Meat-eating dinosaurs the size of a small chicken roamed areas of North America 75 million years ago, according to research by Canadian paleontologists.

The mini-dinosaur, similar in appearance to the Velociraptor, is named Hesperonychus elizabethae and is the smallest carnivorous dinosaur known to have lived in North America.

"Hesperonychus is currently the smallest dinosaur known from North America," said University of Calgary paleontologist Nick Longrich. "Its discovery just emphasizes how little we actually know, and it raises the possibility that there are even smaller ones out there."

Longrich, together with University of Alberta paleontologist Philip Currie, are authors of a study on the small creature that appears in the March 16 edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Hesperonychus weighed about two kilograms (4.4 pounds) and stood about 50 centimeters (19 inches) tall. It ran on two legs and, like Velociraptor -- the deadly, agile dinosaurs made famous in the Jurassic Park movies -- had razor-sharp teeth and a large sickle-shaped claw.

"Judging by the amount of material that was collected, we believe animals the size of Hesperonychus must have been quite common on the landscape," Longrich said in a statement.

Hesperonychus probably hunted and ate insects, mammals, amphibians and maybe even baby dinosaurs that lived in the marshes and forests common in the area during the late Cretaceous period, the scientists said.

[NormsRevenge]

This handout artists image courtesy of the University of Calgary, shows a velociraptor.
Meat-eating dinosaurs the size of a small chicken roamed areas of North America 75 million years ago,
according to research by Canadian paleontologists. (AFP/HO/Nick Longrich)

[NormsRevenge]

This handout photo courtesy of the University of Calgary, shows the claw of the blade-like slashing claw from the second toe of the foot, on a Canadian quarter for scale, of a velociraptor. Meat-eating dinosaurs the size of a small chicken roamed areas of North America 75 million years ago, according to research by Canadian paleontologists. (AFP/HO)

[B-Chan]

WANT ONE

[SirJohnBarleycorn]

Hesperonychus is currently the smallest dinosaur known from North America," said University of Calgary paleontologist Nick Longrich. "Its discovery just emphasizes how little we actually know, and it raises the possibility that there are even smaller ones out there."

That point should be noted more often by paleontologists.

[bitterohiogunclinger]

Prehistoric ankle biters.

[NormsRevenge]

Good luck brushing its teeth.. ;-)

[Salamander]

AM ONE

;-D

[Raycpa]

Now we have to change express from taste like chicken to taste like dino.

[Yo-Yo]

[B.O. Plenty]

Heck, we knew this..

..we saw them in Jurassic Park...they ate the fat geek who was stealing the dino eggs....

[Eye of Unk]

One night Colonel Sanders had a nightmare.

[evets]

In "The Lost World: Jurrasic Park"
they were swarming and eating people.

Human vs. Compsognathus

[Grampa Dave]

Then, an ancestor of Colonel Sanders ruthlessly put these innocent chicken substitutes into extinction.

[unkus]

Good luck brushing its teeth.. ;-)
_____________________

Just wear heavy leather gloves and he’s good for another

20 cats or toy poodles.

[unkus]

LOL

[ml/nj]

And they roamed happily until they were devoured by the environmentally unconcerned Bigfeet.

ML/NJ

[NormsRevenge]

tastes just like chicken. yaknow..

[allmendream]

“And then on the eighth day, God created the bolt action Remington rifle, so man could hunt dinosaurs.” line from the movie “Mean Girls”.

[martin_fierro]

FOR THE WIN!!!1!

[ml/nj]

Probably was chicken.

ML/NJ