''Minisauripus'' is an
ichnogenus of
dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is t ...
footprint. ''Minisauripus'' is regarded as the smallest pre KT-extinction dinosaur ever discovered. It was less than 20 cm (7.8 inches) long. Its footprints have been found in the
Jinju Formation
The Jinju Formation () is an Early Cretaceous geologic Formation (geology), formation in South Korea.[Feitianshan Formation
The Feitianshan Formation is a geological formation
Formation may refer to:
Linguistics
* Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes
* Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes
Mathematics a ...]
, a low-energy lake formation. Its footprints were found within the vicinity of those of the larger ''
Jialingpus''.
Identification
Based on the trackways, ''Minisauripus'' was possibly a hatchling theropod. However, ichnopalaeontologists aren't sure if it belonged to an actual juvenile dinosaur. The ''Minisauripus'' tracks show three distinct toes, unlike the tracks of similar-sized small dromaeosaurids such as ''
Dromaeosauripus rarus'', which are didactyl, with the "killer claw" on the inner toe being held off the ground and thus not preserved in the trackway.
See also
*
List of dinosaur ichnogenera
References
Dinosaur trace fossils
Theropods
{{theropod-stub