Scientists have discovered the smallest dinosaur to date. How was it discovered? How big is it? What is the significance of this discovery?

When talking about dinosaurs, many people think of the huge dinosaurs in "Jurassic Park". In fact, there are also small dinosaurs. Recently, a topic about the smallest dinosaur to date has attracted everyone's attention. So, how was the smallest dinosaur ever discovered? How big is it? What is the significance of this discovery?

1. How was the smallest dinosaur discovered so far? What is the significance of this discovery?

It was published as the cover article in the latest issue of the internationally renowned journal Nature in the early morning of the 12th Beijing time. The paper describes a new species of bird-like dinosaur, which the researchers identified through a tiny, bird-like skull preserved in amber. The skull is complete and only 7.1 millimeters long behind the beak.

This research was jointly completed by Associate Professor Xing Lida of China University of Geosciences, Researcher Zou Jingmei of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Researcher Li Gang of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dr. Lars Schmitz and Professor Louis Chap of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles, Professor Ryan McKellar of the Royal Saskatchewan Museum in Canada, and Dr. Yi Qiru of the Beijing Comprehensive Research Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

This discovery is of great significance for understanding the evolution of dinosaurs and ancient birds, especially the soft tissue and bone structure of small animals.

2. How big is the smallest dinosaur to date?

The smallest dinosaur to date is 6-12 cm long and weighs only 2-6 grams, about the size of a hummingbird.

New research suggests that about 99 million years ago, a "super weird" and incredibly small bird-like dinosaur became trapped in a resin cup that eventually hardened into amber, ultimately preserving the smallest dinosaur known to have ever walked the Earth. The dinosaur, called Oculudentavis khaungraae, was light, probably only 0.07 ounces (2 grams), about the weight of a two-dollar bill.

The smallest living bird in the world is the hummingbird, and the smallest hummingbird is the bee-sucking honey bee (Mellisuga helenae), which weighs about 1.95 grams and is 5.5 centimeters long. Judging from the size of the skull discovered this time, the dinosaur was shorter than a hummingbird, making it the smallest ancient bird ever discovered and also the smallest dinosaur in history.

Back to the fossil itself, the "dinosaur" was named Oculudentavis khaungraae, and its beak is only 7.1 mm long.

The article describes that a huge eye socket can be seen on the skull of the Oculudentavis, similar to the eyes of a lizard. The eye socket opening is narrow, allowing only a small amount of light to enter, suggesting an adaptation for daytime activity. Its upper and lower jaws were equipped with a large number of sharp teeth. The authors estimate that there were 29-30 teeth on each side of the lower jaw. It may have fed on small arthropods or invertebrates, which is different from modern birds of similar size, which have no teeth and feed on nectar.