Sinovenator facts for kids
Quick facts for kids SinovenatorTemporal range: Lower Cretaceous
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Sinovenator
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Sinovenator (say "SIGH-no-ven-AY-tor") was a small dinosaur that lived a very long time ago. It was about the size of a chicken! This dinosaur was a type of troodontid, known for being smart and having bird-like features.
Sinovenator lived during the early Cretaceous period, about 128.2 million years ago. Its fossils were found in China, in a place called the Yixian Formation. This area is famous for its amazing fossils, which are part of what scientists call the Jehol biota.
Discovering Sinovenator
Scientists first described Sinovenator changii in 2002. The first fossil found was a partial skull and some bones that were not connected. This fossil is called the type specimen.
Later, another fossil was found. This one had bones that were still connected, but it was missing the skull. Both of these important fossils are kept at a special museum in Beijing, China.
What Makes Sinovenator Special?
Sinovenator was a very early type of troodontid. It had some features that were also seen in other groups of dinosaurs. These groups include dromaeosaurids (like Velociraptor) and Avialae (which includes birds).
Finding these shared features in Sinovenator is very exciting for scientists. It helps them understand how these different groups of dinosaurs are related. It shows that they all came from a shared ancestor a long, long time ago. This helps us learn more about the dinosaur family tree!
Images for kids
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Known elements of the holotype
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Life restoration of sprinting Sinovenator.
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Size of Sinovenator compared to a human
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Photo and CT scan of skull PMOL-AD00102
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Specimen IVPP V14322
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See also
In Spanish: Sinovenator changii para niños
