Shuvuuia
Shuvuuia
- Pronunciation:
- shu-voo-ee-ah
- Name meaning:
- 'bird'
© Anness Publishing / NHMPL
- Type of dinosaur:
- small theropod
- Length:
- 0.6m
- Diet:
- omnivorous
- When it lived:
- Late Cretaceous, 75-81 million years ago
- Found in:
- Mongolia
Shuvuuia is known from a well-preserved skull and postcranium. This very small desert dinosaur may have eaten termites. Its lower jaw was not interlocked with the skull, allowing its mouth to open very wide for larger prey.
Taxonomic details
- Taxonomy:
- Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Tetanurae, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Alvarezsauridae
- Named by:
- Chiappe, Norell and Clark (1998)
- Type species:
- deserti
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