Pronunciation: AHR-kee-OR-ni-THOI-deez
Meaning: Archaeornis-like
Author/s: Elzanowski and Wellnhofer (1992)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Ömnögovi, Mongolia
Discovery Chart Position: #372
Archaeornithoides deinosauriscus
Known only from a partial, juvenile skull with an estimated complete length of just 5cm, Archaeornithoides was initially thought to be a hatchling Tarbosaurus and later suspected of being the closest non-bird relative of Avialae (bird wings): the clade containing living birds and their closest extinct relatives. However, its close-to-birds traits have since been found in dromaeosaurs and troodontids, with most experts assigning Archaeornithoides to the latter, apart from Luis Chiappe, who thinks it may be a juvenile Velociraptor. Whatever it is, the remains of Archaeornithoides are pitiful, but they do preserve one rather unique feature that is both astounding and disgusting in equal measure.
In 1992, Andrzej Elzanowski and Peter Wellnhofer noted that the holotype jaws of Archaeornithoides preserve distinct bite marks and suggested its snout had been chewed away from the braincase by a weasel-like critter. Then a decade later, Clark and colleagues mused that it may have passed through the predator's digestive tract before fossilization. If true, that is the first evidence of Mesozoic mammals eating dinosaurs and, as far as we know, the only example of such a journey in the entire fossil record.
In 1992, Andrzej Elzanowski and Peter Wellnhofer noted that the holotype jaws of Archaeornithoides preserve distinct bite marks and suggested its snout had been chewed away from the braincase by a weasel-like critter. Then a decade later, Clark and colleagues mused that it may have passed through the predator's digestive tract before fossilization. If true, that is the first evidence of Mesozoic mammals eating dinosaurs and, as far as we know, the only example of such a journey in the entire fossil record.
(Archaeornis-like little dinosaur)Etymology
Archaeornithoides is derived from Archaeornis ("ancient bird", which is now a junior synonym of Archaeopteryx) and the Latin "-oides" (resembling, form, likeness), named for its resemblance to primitive toothed birds. The species epithet, deinosauriscus, means "little dinosaur".
Discovery
The remains of Archaeornithoides were discovered during the Polish-Mongolian paleontological expeditions to the "Flaming Cliffs" site (Bayn Dzak) in the Djadokhta Formation of Ömnögovi (South Gobi) Aaimag (Province), Mongolia, by a Polish-Mongolian paleontological expedition to the area in 1965.
The holotype (ZPAL MgD-II/29) is the partial skull of a juvenile.
• Holtz TR jr, Molnar RE and Currie PJ (2004) "Basal Tetanurae" in Weishampel, Dodson and Osmólska (eds.) "
