Name:
Saurornithoides (Greek for "bird-like lizard"); pronounced sore-ORN-ih-THOY-deez
Habitat:
Plains of central Asia
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (70-65 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 10 feet long and 100 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Bipedal stance; long arms; narrow snout
About Saurornithoides:
For all intents and purposes, Saurornithoides was the central Asian version of the easier-to-pronounce North American Troodon, a human-sized, bipedal predator that chased small birds and lizards across the dusty plains (and may also have been smarter than the average dinosaur, judging by its bigger-than-average brain). The relatively large size of Saurornithoides' eyes are a clue that it probably hunted for food at night, the better to stay out of the way of the larger theropods of late Cretaceous Asia.
