Re: Is it bigger than a bread box?

[Stan Friesen <swf@ElSegundoCA.ATTGIS.COM>]

>From: monaghan@cac.washington.edu (Tracy Monaghan)
 > > 
 > > I might add to the "smallest late Maastrichtian dinosaur" list:
 > > dromaeosaurids, oviraptorosaurs and maybe some hypsilophodontid are all
 > > about the same size as Troodon.
 > 
 > Sorry if this is obviously to most, but there's at least one out here who 
 > wouldn't be able to properly size up a Troodon between a cat and an 
 > elephant. 

Hmm, let's see if I remember this right.
A Troodon, as I remember it, is about 6-8 ft long, counting
tail.  I estimate that this makes it about half the weight of
a human.

In other words, it is fairly small as dinosaurs go, but a good
bit larger than the largest known Late Cretaceous mammal (probably
some sort of creodont, in the large cat - small dog size range).

It is also a good bit larger than the smallest known Jurassic,
and even Triassic, dinosaurs.  Forms like Nannosaurus (is that
a junior synonym now?), Compsognathus, Lesothosaurus, and so
on were rather smaller in those days.

swf@elsegundoca.attgis.com              sarima@netcom.com

The peace of God be with you.