Researchers have discovered the complete skull of a previously unknown species of bird-like dinosaur trapped in a chunk of 99-million-year-old amber.
According to the scientists, a 99-million-year-old amber contained the fossil fossil of what they call Oculudentavis, the smallest dinosaur ever found.
The dinosaur was smaller in size than the tiniest hummingbird alive today, with its head only the size of a thumbnail. Despite its small size, the animal was likely a predator, having a jaw packed with serrated teeth and eyes bulging and lizard-like
Jingmai O'Connor, senior professor at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said: "When I first saw this specimen, it really blew my mind. I literally have never seen anything like this."
O'Connor, also a research associate at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, added: "There's over 100 teeth present in the jaws. These weird eyes sticking off looking to the side. There's nothing like this alive today."
Co-author of the study Lars Schmitz, a biology professor at Scripps College in Claremont, California, pointed out: "One of the key messages from this study is that we are probably missing a big chunk of the ecosystem of the dinosaurs."
"We don't know a lot about tiny things in the age of the dinosaurs," Schmitz claimed.
Chinese paleontologist Lida Xing explained: "I think the diversity of dinosaurs is beyond our imagination. We previously found a dinosaur footprint of 1 centimeter in length, which I thought was the minimum length of a dinosaur. Until we found Oculudentavis."
Oculudentavis means "eye-tooth bird", according to Xing.
The amber was bought in Myanmar by Khaung Ra, the mother-in-law of Chen Guang, the director of a museum in southwestern China near the Myanmar border that is dedicated to amber.
Khaung Ra donated the amber to the Hupoge Amber Museum for further study. The dinosaur was officially named Oculudentavis khaungraae in honor of Khaung Ra.
