Nanosaurus is a dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of the United States of America. It was officially named in 1877 by Othniel Charles Marsh. It was commonly shown as a "tiny dinosaur" in literature (leading to the conception that it was even remotely well-known), and many of its fossils were once known under the names "Othnielia", "Drinker", and "Othnielosaurus".
Physiology[]
Nanosaurus was an ornithischian that came to resemble the many ornithopods more advanced than it. It had a slender body, long legs, a long tail, semi-short arms, a small beak in front of its mouth, and large, eagle-like brows near the top of its eyes. Its body would have been covered in scaly skin.
Diet[]
Nanosaurus was an herbivore, feeding on plants low to the ground. Its big beak was used for shredding leaves, while the many cheek teeth in the back of its mouth were used for chewing on plants.
Ecology[]
So far, all we know about Nanosaurus is that its long legs allowed it to run at swift speeds, and it relied on speed and agility to evade predators such as Allosaurus and Torvosaurus.
In popular culture[]
Nanosaurus was featured in a special episode of the documentary Walking with Dinosaurs, The Ballad of Big Al. There, it was just featured as a background animal.