Name:
Mirischia (Greek for "wonderful pelvis"); pronounced mih-rih-SHE-ah
Habitat:
Woodlands of South America
Historical Period:
Middle Cretaceous (110-100 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 6 feet long and 15-20 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small size; asymmetrical pelvic bones
About Mirischia:
As you can guess from its name--Greek for "wonderful pelvis"--Mirischia possessed an unusual pelvic structure, with an asymmetrical ischium (in fact, this dinosaur's full name is Mirischia asymmetrica). One of the innumerable small theropods populating middle Cretaceous South America, Mirischia seems to have been most closely related to the earlier, North American Compsognathus, and also had some traits in common with western European Aristosuchus. There are some tantalizing hints that Mirischia's oddly shaped pelvis harbored an air sac, yet more support for the evolutionary line connecting the small theropods of the late Mesozoic Era and modern birds.
