Teeny skull trapped in amber belongs to smallest dinosaur ever found By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 03.24.20 Word Count 688 Level 890L

Image 1. Burmese amber with the tiny dinosaur skull nearly perfectly preserved inside. Photo: Lida Xing

Picture a hummingbird, but with fangs. A tiny skull of a tiny predator that lived 99 million years ago is likely that of the smallest species of dinosaur ever found.

An international team of paleontologists named this dinosaur Oculudentavis khaungraae. Paleontologists study fossils. The dino's first name, its species, is borrowed from the Latin language and means "eye-teeth-bird." The second word, its species, is named after a person, Khaung Ra. Ra donated the skull to China's Hupoge Amber Museum. The skull and its toothy beak were found inside amber, which is hardened tree sap. Both were described in the journal Nature on March 12.

Minus the snout, the skull measures about one-fourth of an inch long. This dino head could easily rest on the cap of a triple-A battery.

Even Smaller Than A Hummingbird Skull

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. "It's smaller than the skulls that we find in hummingbirds," said study author Lars Schmitz. He is a paleobiologist at the Keck Science Center in California, studying ancient life forms. Birds are living dinosaurs, of which bee hummingbirds are the tiniest. However, estimating its body size from its skull, this newly discovered dinosaur could compare in size with the bee hummingbird.

"If it's indeed a dinosaur, it's definitely the smallest known extinct dinosaur," said Ohio University paleontologist Lawrence Witmer. He is an expert in dinosaur heads who was not involved with the research.

Its large eye, rounded skull and slender snout are characteristics of dinosaurs. More specifically, they look like ancient birds. Without a skeleton to study, though, the scientists do not know whether the dinosaur could fly.

The fossil has a strange mixture of lizard and birdlike traits. Fossils are remains of living things from long ago. Witmer added, "It would be super-helpful to know what kind of body was attached to that weird skull."

In the past, when describing fossils, paleontologists have mistaken young animals for unusually small species. But Oculudentavis' bone structure sure looks like it could be a mature adult.

The skull's bony plates look to be well-stitched together. Such a pattern is a hint that this dinosaur was an adult, or nearly so, Witmer says.

Seeing Well Meant Eating Well

Schmitz first saw Oculudentavis as a digital scan of the dinosaur's skull. He was amazed. "I was like, holy moly, this is really interesting," he said. The fossil has an incredible amount of detail, said Schmitz, an eye expert. He was interested in its "very beautifully preserved eye."

Seeing well was important to this animal, Schmitz said. The size of the skull's pupil hole suggests the dinosaur hunted during the day.

Unlike hummingbirds, which eat nectar, Oculudentavis wanted flesh. Each jaw sprouted about 30 sharp teeth per side. The dinosaur probably ate insects and other invertebrates, Schmitz said. Invertebrates are animals without backbones.

"A Little Hummingbird-Like Critter With Teeth!"

The skull was dug up in Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country.

Amber is very good at preserving small life forms, Schmitz said. This dinosaur head joins other animals found in amber: an ancient spider frozen while attacking a wasp, old frogs, even the nib of a feathered dinosaur tail. The film "Jurassic Park" features mosquitoes trapped in amber.

"It blows my mind," said ReBecca Hunt-Foster. She is a park paleontologist at Dinosaur National Monument in Utah who was not a member of the research team. Miniature bones such as this are "so delicate," she said, and would "not have a chance" to survive the petrifying process. The

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. petrifying process happens when natural matter turns to stone under layers of sediment, or soil. That creates large dinosaur fossils.

Paleontologists expect that small dinosaurs would have lived alongside the bigger dinos. Oculudentavis helps us understand how many different kinds of dinosaurs there were, Hunt- Foster said.

Though it was but little, perhaps it was fierce. As Hunt-Foster pointed out, small creatures can often be fighters. Hummingbirds, for instance, will bully other birds away from flowers and feeders.

"A little hummingbird-like critter with teeth!" Hunt-Foster said. "Can you imagine a flock of these guys?"

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. Quiz

1 Read the section "A Little Hummingbird-Like Critter With Teeth!"

Select the sentence from the section that shows why the fossil is so rare.

(A) The skull was dug up in Myanmar, the Southeast Asian country.

(B) Amber is very good at preserving small life forms, Schmitz said.

(C) Miniature bones such as this are "so delicate," she said, and would "not have a chance" to survive the petrifying process.

(D) The petrifying process happens when natural matter turns to stone under layers of sediment, or soil.

2 Read the selection from the section “Even Smaller Than A Hummingbird Skull.”

In the past, when describing fossils, paleontologists have mistaken young animals for unusually small species. But Oculudentavis's bone structure sure looks like it could be a mature adult.

Which of the following is the MOST accurate explanation of what this selection means?

(A) Paleontologists have identified the skull as being from the Oculudentavis species of small dinosaurs.

(B) Paleontologists have learned how to study fossils to determine what species they are from and how old the fossils are.

(C) Paleontologists used to classify fossils from young dinosaurs as separate species, but Oculudentavis has bone patterns of an adult.

(D) Paleontologists used to think that young dinosaurs were small species, but they are sure that Oculudentavis is big enough to be an adult.

3 Why did Lars Schmitz feel amazed after seeing a digital scan of the dinosaur’s skull?

(A) It told him that the tiny dinosaur was a hunter.

(B) It revealed that the fossil was 99 million years old.

(C) It provided insight into the rest of the fossil skeleton.

(D) It showed the fossil to be detailed and well preserved.

4 What is the relationship between the Oculudentavis’s name and its physical characteristics?

(A) The name identifies the dinosaur as fully adult.

(B) The name lists physical features of the dinosaur.

(C) The name suggests that the tiny dinosaur could fly.

(D) The name describes the unusual size of the dinosaur.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.