Sciurumimus

Type Species: Sciurumimus albersdoerferi

Classification: Dinosauria - Saurischia - Theropoda - Carnosauria - Megalosauroidea

Time Period: Late Jurassic 

Location: Europe 

Diet: Carnivore

The small bipedal theropod Scuirumimus lived among the large islands and archipelagos of prehistoric France and Germany. During the Late Jurassic, much of modern western Europe was submerged by the Oxford Sea and shallow sea armlets of the Tethys Sea that were ringed with coral reefs. Emerging from this vast spider-web network of waterways were dry, forested islands cut by streams and lagoons. These islands catered to smaller terrestrial organisms: lizards, mammals, and a number of small-fry dinosaurs, Scuirumimus among them. This theropod lived alongside the compsognathids Compsognathus and Juravenator, as well as a number of paravians, such as Ostromia, Wellnhoferia, Alcmonavis, and of course the infamous Archaeopteryx.

Sciurumimus’ name means ‘Squirrel-mimic’ for its tail’s resemblance to that of the modern tree squirrel. It’s known from a single juvenile specimen, so its adult length is unknown. While classified as a megalosaurid, this classification is hotly debated. The single specimen was preserved with traces of feather-like filaments. The specimen’s body proportions – the short forelimbs, the lack of fusion in the skeleton, as well as the fact that its skull is 156% the length of the femur – indicate that it was a juvenile and perhaps as young as a hatchling.