Experts found the fossil in China

Mar 30, 2010 19:11 GMT  ·  By

One of the smallest dinosaurs ever found was recently unearthed in China by a team of archaeologists. The experts say that the fossilized remains would seem to indicate that this particular creature was one of the fastest and most agile to have lived in its days, and have therefore dubbed it as a “roadrunner.” The species is called Xixianykus zhangi, and it is no longer than 50 centimeters from head to the tip of its tail. The fleet-footed theropod is believed to have been a fan of termites and ants, based on analysis of its claws, the BBC News reports.

The researchers who had a chance to look at the remains believe that the animal was capable of using its very well developed limbs to move quickly and efficiently between termite mounds after feeding in one spot. This ability would have made it able to escape the attacks of larger predators. Because of its speed, it would have spent very little time out in the open and a considerable amount foraging for food in termite mounds or ant nests. The researchers who conducted the new investigation published their results in the latest issue of the respected scientific journal Zootaxa.

“The limb proportions of Xixianykus are among the most extreme ever recorded for a theropod dinosaur,” explains of the fossil Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing expert Dr Corwin Sullivan, who is a Canadian paleontologist. He is also one of the authors of the new investigation. One of the features that led to X. zhangi being classified as a roadrunner is the fact that it has very short thigh bones, called femurs. This is a common trait for a lot of running animals that live today. “This doesn't provide a basis for estimating its top speed, but it does show that Xixianykus was a highly efficient runner,” Dr Sullivan further comments.

The research team that made the discovery was led by CAS scientist Dr Xing Xu, and it managed to retrieve the fossil from the Henan Province, in a region called Xixia Country. The spot where the X. zhangi remains were found, called the Majiacun Formation, dates back from the Upper Cretaceous period, the final time frame before dinosaurs became extinct, more than 65 million years ago. “It may sound odd, but digging and running actually work quite well together,” explains CAS expert Dr David Hone, also a coauthor of the investigation.