Type Species: Nqwebasaurus thwazi
Classification: Dinosauria – Saurischia – Theropoda – Tetanurae – Coelurosauria – Tyrannoraptora – Maniraptoromorpha – Ornithomimosauria
Time Period: Early Cretaceous
Location: South Africa
Diet: Herbivore or Omnivore
The African dinosaur Nqwebasaurus – whose full name means ‘fast runner of the Kirkwood district’ – lived during the earliest stage of the Early Cretaceous. This is the only named coelurosaur discovered in Africa, and it shows that coelurosaurian dinosaurs lived in Gondwana 50 million years earlier than previously thought.
This ornithomimosaur was small, only about a foot high and three feet in length. Its long, three-fingered hands had a partially opposable thumb and a recurved claw. Unlike most theropods – but in keeping with some other ornithomimosaurs – its first and second digits were recurved while the third claw was not. Ornithomimosaurs ran the gauntlet of dietary styles, and Nqwebasaurus was likely an herbivore, as it lacked serrations on its maxillary teeth and used gastroliths to assist in pulverizing its food. Skeptics point out that some predators use gastroliths – particularly those that eat fish and invertebrates; thus Nqwebasaurus may have been an omnivore. Nqwebasaurus also had fewer teeth than most other theropods; ornithomimosaurs ran the gauntlet of teeth types, with some having few teeth, others having lots of teeth, and even some, like Gallimimus, who had no teeth but a keratinous bill! Some scientists speculate that Nqwebasaurus was partially feathered or had a feather coat for insulation; this reasoning is based on its relationship to other feathered dinosaurs.
