W B When we imagine the dreaded prehistoric creatures, we always have the idea of giant beings that could easily end up with anything in their path, however, this time we show you the opposite. Stay with us to discover the smallest beings that occupied the Earth millions of years ago.
#10 LESOTHOSAURUS
This creature lived approximately 200 million years ago, mostly in what is now Africa. This small bipedal herbivore was known to be an agile and fast runner, according to what is deduced based on his skeleton, which would help him escape his predators. On the other hand, he was also able to walk on all fours when he was looking for food, action that was facilitated in view that he had 5 fingers on the front legs. Despite being considered a herbivore, it is also believed that in the absence of adequate plants for their diet, they chose to hunt smaller animals, which is why some even call it an “opportunistic omnivore”. Measuring approximately 6.6 feet long and only 3 feet high, it suggests the reason why this prehistoric animal had to adapt to survive.
One of the most outstanding features of their discovery was that their fossils were in recess position because they could have died while they slept or hibernated, which shows that this reptile probably was not used to low temperatures.
#9 MICROCERATOPS
This species lived in the Cretaceous period more than 140 million years ago in the Asian continent. It was a bipedal herbivore, in view that its front legs were too short to hunt or obtain another type of food. This dinosaur still maintains several aspects of itself a mystery, due to it having been discovered just recently, much of its characteristics are mostly deductions; for example, that its diet included ferns and cycads because during the period in that inhabited the floral plants were quite scarce because of the geographical limitations of the landscape. In addition, one of its most outstanding qualities was its tip-shaped mouth that they used to bite leaves and even thorns. In terms of its size, it reached about 2.6 feet in length and was also one of the first species of dinosaurs with horns.
#8 WANNANOSAURUS
It was discovered in Anhui, China, and is believed to have lived more than 80 million years ago. Among its most striking physical features were its flat head and teeth, adapted to eat all kinds of plants, unlike the vast majority of dinosaurs of its size, it is believed to have been a slow animal compared to its predators like the Velociraptor. However, one of his peculiarities when escaping was that he took advantage of his flat and hard skull as a defense mechanism wile hopping away. At the same time, it was also known for its small size, which, based on the fossils found, is estimated not to have been even 3.3 feet in length, and within the few remains bones of what been an adult specimen which at 2 feet long were also found.
#7 PARVICURSOR REMOTUS
This tiny species of dinosaur was found in the Asian continent and is believed to have lived 80 million years ago. It was characterized by its long, thin legs which it used to escape from its predators; it’s no surprise its name mean “small runner”. On the other hand, their front legs being smaller are believed to have been used for small excavations in search of food, because they had long claws. However, they were not used as a defense mechanism since they did not have high levels of flexibility. Regarding its size, it is deduced that this small species was around 11.8 inches long from the snout to the tail and reached a weight of up to 5.64 ounces. It should also be noted that this species. Although it is not relatively new, not many specimens have been found and it is even believed that there are more species of Parvicursor that have not yet been studied in depth.
#6 ANCHIORNIS HUXLEYI
If any were skeptics when they heard that birds evolved from dinosaurs, this species is the best proof, since you only ave to take a look to find the pssible bloodline. Having lived in the Jurassic period, approximately 155 million years ago, this dinosaur used to inhabit what is now known as Asia, and is one of the best-found fossils of its era. In terms of its size, it only averages 13.39 inches in length and weighed between 0.24 and 1.54 pounds. Physically, it could be said that it was a pretty colorful bird and that had long hind legs that in a principle would indicate that it could be a great runner, although being wrapped in feathers would deny this hypothesis since it would actually decrease its speed. On the other hand, having two types of wings both front and rear it is believed that this dinosaur could have had the ability to fly or at least plane. However, due to the small size and shape of its feathers added to its unsymmetrical limbs, there is still doubt about this species.
#5 LAGOSUCHUS
This small species was found in Gaucho lands and dates back to the Triassic period approximately 230 million years ago. This reptile is characterized by having a light texture and long and thin legs which indicate that it usually walked on four legs. However, when threatened or realizing the presence of a predator, it would use only its rear legs to get as far away as possible. It should be noted that this flight could only be made for brief periods of time. Regarding its size, it is estimated that they measured approximately 11.8 inches, a fact that remains an assumption, given that its remains to date are still incomplete. But don’t let yourself get carried away by its measurements, since in spite of everything, it was probably a great predator and it would not only use its speed to escape, but also when chasing prey.
#4 PISANOSAURUS
This dinosaur species lived at the end of the Triassic period and its fossils were found in South America, in a province in Argentina to be more specific.
Due to the small amount of material found, mainly its tail, its size is only a speculation measuring 3.3 feet in length and approximately one foot in height. It was probably a bipedal herbivore as well as many within this size range. It was also quite fast, relying on its slender hind legs and its long tail that would give it a perfect balance wen running, and with that size, you couldn’t expect less, since it would be an easy prey for any predator. Among its most outstanding features are its strong and compact teeth that allowed it to feed on quite resistant plants, typical of the semi-arid zone where they lived.
#3 MICROPACHYCEPHALOSAURUS
This dinosaur lived in the late Cretaceous period about 70 million years ago, was a 22-pound heavy herbivore biped and was discovered in Shandong, a province of China, and was newly described in 1978. Equipped with a reinforced skull that researchers can’t yet indicate why, they debate theories going from the fact that it was used for competitions against other males in order to be able to mate and even that it was used as a defense mechanism in the presence of predators. At the same time, several paleontologists affirm that it could have striped skin to camouflage among plants at ground level, in view that its diet was based on leaves and roots at ground level. On the other hand, this reptile is characterized as well as everyone in this Top for its small size which ranged between 3.3 feet long and just 11.8 inches high and ironically, has the longsest name of all dinosaurs.
#2 EPIDEXIPTERYX HUI
Climbing up to the first positions, we found a small creature that barely reached 5 inches in height and was discovered in what is now known as China. As for the period in which this species walked the earth, it has not yet been fully confirmed as it is estimated that it could be ending the Jurassic period or at the beginning of the Cretaceous. This species was characterized for presenting a horny beak with rather long teeth with no edge. It is because of this that it is speculated that it would have been insectivore; also, it possessed thin and long hind legs which, like many species of small dinosaurs, served him to escape from its predators. However, one of its most outstanding peculiarities were its long front legs that were equipped with extremely large fingers that could have been used to climb trees both for food or as a second method of escape from any type of threat. Also, another of its singularities was its strange tail, which should not be described as such, since it was replaced by four feathers that would mean that it was used as a means of sexual attraction, similar to the mating rituals of peacocks.
#1 EPIDENDROSAURUS
Located in the first spot and considered the smallest dinosaur that could have existed, we found the Epidendrosaurus. This species inhabited the earth at the end of the Jurassic period, approximately 147 million years ago. Based on the fossils found, it was determined that this being was only 4.7 inches tall and only 11.8 inches long. However, despite its size, it was not such a docile species since it was an omnivore. Regarding its physical characteristics, its relationship with modern birds stands out with notoriety since its front legs were composed of long, curved claws that at the time allowed it to climb trees in search of food. Based on this, many studies indicate that it could be the first step towards the evolution of wings of the current birds. Despite countless searches, the only sample found shows signs of having been a specimen that had not yet reached full maturity, so it follows that the size could vary, although it would not exceed the size of a sparrow.
If now you don’t think that all dinosaurs were frightening, comment and share. See you soon.
