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Anurognathus


Except for the fact that it was technically a pterosaur, Anurognathus would qualify as the tiniest dinosaur that ever lived. This hummingbird-sized reptiles differed from the other pterosaurs of the late Jurassic period in its stubby tail and short (yet extremely strong) jaws. Its wings were very thin and delicate, stretching from the fourth fingers of its front talons back to its ankles, and they may have been brightly colored. Because a free-flying Anurognathus would have made a quick snack for a much bigger pterosaur, some paleontologists wonder if this diminutive creature nested on the backs of large sauropods like the contemporary Cetiosaurus and Brachiosaurus. This would have afforded Anurognathus some much-needed protection, and the bugs that constantly hovered around skyscraper-sized dinosaurs would have provided it with a steady source of food.

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