Name:
Nqwebasaurus (Greek for "Nqweba lizard"); pronounced nn-KWAY-buh-SORE-us
Habitat:
Plains of southern Africa
Historical Period:
Early Cretaceous (130 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 3 feet long and 25 pounds
Diet:
Probably omnivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small size; long first fingers on hands
About Nqwebasaurus:
One of the few early theropods to be discovered in sub-Saharan Africa, Nqwebasaurus is known from a single, incomplete skeleton, probably a juvenile. Based on an analysis of this fossil's unusual hands--the long first fingers were partially opposable to the second and third--experts have concluded that this small dinosaur was an omnivore that literally clutched at anything it could eat, a conclusion backed up by the preservation of gastroliths in its gut (these "stomach stones" are useful accessories for grinding up vegetable matter).
