Othnielia

From Encyclopedia Jr, free information reference for Kids

Othnielia is a hypsilophodont dinosaur, named after its discoverer, Professor Othniel Charles Marsh, an American fossil hunter of the 19th century. Hypsilophodonts have been found in North America, Europe, Asia, Antarctica, and Australia. Othniela itself has been found in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado in rocks of the Late Jurassic age (Oxfordian-Tithonian).

This dinosaur was originally known as Nanosaurus. It lived alongside many other famous Jurassic dinosaurs, such as Brachiosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Allosaurus.

This small, agile herbivore had proportionally small arms, making it back-heavy, giving it better balance while running on its hind legs. It is hard to know how large this animal is, because while hatchlings to juveniles have been found, no adults have.

The type species, Othnielia rex, was described by Galton in 1977.

[edit] References

• Fantastic Facts About Dinosaurs (ISBN 0-75253-166-2)
• http://www.users.qwest.net/~jstweet1/ornithopoda.htm