The tiniest dinosaur ever found
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Tinier than the tiniest bird, older than Tyrannosaurus Rex and perfectly preserved for eternity, scientists have discovered a 100-million-year-old flying dinosaur encased in amber that may be the smallest ever discovered.
The skull of Oculudentavis Khaungraae was found in a globule of amber in Myanmar, offering researchers a startlingly clear view of its features.
鈥淲hen I first saw it I was blown away,鈥 said Jingmai O鈥機onnor, a paleontologist from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and lead author of the study published on Wednesday in Nature.
鈥淚t鈥檚 exquisitely preserved and really weird looking, with its unique scleral ring and large number of teeth,鈥 she said.
The preserved skull is just 7.1 millimeters long, likely making it the smallest dinosaur discovered to date.
It was smaller than the smallest bird alive today, the bee hummingbird.
The team even refer among themselves to the specimen as 鈥淭eenie Weenie,鈥 O鈥機onnor said.
Despite its miniscule size, researchers believe it hunted insects, using its sharp teeth and large eyes to hone in on prey.
Unlike fossils encased in rock, amber specimens still retain their soft tissue, showing scientists their original color and morphology.
As to whether Teenie is a bird or a dinosaur, O鈥機onnor said the lines are blurry.
鈥淭he skull has a shape that only occurs in birds and some dinosaurs.鈥
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