New species of dinosaur snoozing for 71 million years suggests they slept like birds

About 71 million years ago, a small theropod dinosaur curled up to sleep one last time before becoming part of the fossil record. It was recovered from the Baron Guyot Formation in what we now call the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, and has become a key part of new research that states that their contorted position suggests they slept like modern birds.

The nearly complete fossil has been preserved in three dimensions, showing the skeleton of a species new to science that has been named Jacolinicus yaroi. Its name is derived from “Jaculus”, a small dragon from Greek mythology, and “onykus” meaning claw. last part, Yaroycomes from the Mongolian word yaruu, which means fast.

So, a little speedy dragon, if you please. All that running around makes work tiring, according to this deceased’s arrangement J YaroyThey appear to sleep in a position similar to modern birds.

As a member of the Alvarezsauridae dinosaur family, this new species joins a group of small theropods. However, there was a time when they were thought to represent the oldest known flightless birds. This has since been revised and are now considered maniraptoran dinosaurs, non-avian theropod dinosaurs that were closely related to birds.

If you smash a Maniraptora you get raptor hands (mani), because these dinosaurs had long arms and three-fingered hands that were good for grasping things. Although modified wrist elements for snatch may be what made flight possible, they are one of several features they share with birds.

What a sleeping beauty we are J Yaroy He tells us that sleeping position might be another trait to add to the list.

“This specimen shows a typical bird-like sleeping posture, with the neck and tail arched and the hind limbs tucked under the pelvis, which is almost identical to what has been seen in troodontids.” Long mi And sinorthoides yongi,“The new classification,” the study authors wrote Jacolinicus yaroi The general. et al., representing the ninth genus of alvarisaurids from the Nymejt Basin, not only reveals the comprehensive anatomy of alvarisaurids, but also provides conclusive evidence of the emergence of bird-like behavior long before the appearance of paraavian behaviors.

Modern birds curl up to sleep in an attempt to conserve heat, and since it is mostly agreed that feathered theropods were warm-blooded, it is possible that our snoozing birds were J Yaroy He was trying to stay warm too. Sleep tight, you little, delicate, hand-grabbing one.

The study is published in One plus.