A new kind dinosaurwith size similar to one Labradordiscovered scientists at United States. ‘Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae“, As he was called, lived about before 150 million yearsnext to more known species such as drywall and the doubled.

According to a study published Wednesday in the scientific review Royal Society Open Sciencethe dinosaur was a herbivorous, had long hind legs and a long thin body – features that indicated that he was a fast runner, capable of avoiding predators.

Although much of his skeleton was found in the formation of the Colorado Morrison between 2021-2022, the skull and part of his spine are missing, so his exact length is not certain.

“So small herbivores are rare findings,” he told CNN Professor Paul Baret of the London Museum of Natural History, who signed the study. “Finding an almost complete skeleton instead of individual bones is extremely unusual.”

The name of the species pays tribute to Molly Bortywick, the donor who helped acquire the finding from a London Gallery for the Museum. The name of the genus “Enigmacursor” means in the Latin “mysterious runner”.

Analyzing the bones, scientists have identified unique characteristics that are not observed in any other known species, with the femoral bone presenting special muscle adhesions. Enigmacursor seems to be closely related to Yandusaurus Hongheenis, a species of about 3 meters long found in China – showing that similar species may have existed in different areas.

The fossil is estimated to belong to a young animal, since some vertebrae had not yet merged. But it is not clear how he died, as his bones do not carry obvious signs of injury or illness.

The rare finding will be exhibited at the London Natural History Museum since June 26th. As Professor Barrett notes, although new species of dinosaurs are found almost every week, small dinosaurs are difficult to find, both because they are often ignored by fossil collectors looking for larger findings, and because their small bones are more likely to be destroyed.

“The discovery of such small species offers us a more complete picture of the ecosystems of the time,” he concluded.