Thursday, June 16, 2011


 Smallest Dinosaur: 'Ashdown Maniraptoran' Fossil sets world record

BEXHILL, East Sussex, UK -- Dave Brockhurst, 51, a part-time fossil collector has unearthed the vertebrae of " Ashdown Maniraptoran," a fossil of the small, bird-like dinosaur at a brickworks in Sussex; paleontologists from the University of Portsmouthsaid it was likely to have been between 13 inches (33 centimetres) and 16 inches (40 centimetres) in length - setting the new world record for Smallest Dinosaur .


  Photo: The scientists said the World's Smallest Dinosaur would have roamed Britain over 250 million years ago. An artist's impression of the Ashdown maniraptoran'. Credit: Matt Martyniuk / University of Portsmouth ( enlarge photo )

  The previous World's Smallest Dinoaur was North America's Hesperonychus elizabethae, a velociraptor-like predator with a nasty curved claw on its toe. It stood about a foot and a half (50 cm) tall and weighed 4 pounds (2 kilograms).

The Guinness world record for the largest collection of dinosaur eggsnumbers 10,008 individual samples as of November 2004. It is held at the Heyuan Museum, Guangdong Province, China.

Guinness World Records also recognized the smallest dinosaur footprint discoveredto date measures just 1.78 cm (0.7 in) from the heel to the tip of digit III. it was discovered on the Isle of Skye, Highland, UK by Dr Neil Clark (UK) of the Hunterian Museum of the University of Glasgow, UK.

  The discovery was made by amateur fossil hunter Dave Brockhurst, 51, who kept it in a drawer in his home for two years before getting in touch with the paleontologists.

 "I knew there was something about it that was different but I had no idea what it would turn out to be," Brockhurst told The Sussex Argus.

  "It lay in my drawer for a while because I don't know what to do with it," he added. "Then I eventually emailed Dr. Steve Sweetman, who took it on."

  It was identified from a single neck vertebrae by Darren Naish and Steve Sweetman at the University of Portsmouth.

  Dr Naish said: "It was perhaps an omnivore, eating small animals, including insects, as well as leaves and fruit."

  The scientists said the tiny prehistoric creature would have roamed Britain during the Mesoziac era which began approximately 250 million years ago.

  Describing the finding in the latest issue of Cretaceous Research, paleontologists from the University of Portsmouth said it was likely to have been between 33 centimeters and 40 centimeters in length, and was most probably a carnivore that survived on a diet of small animals, as well as insects, leaves and fruit.

  Dr Darren Naish and Dr. Steve Sweetman analyzed the vertebrae and concluded it was a previously undiscovered species - a feathered dinosaur that walked on two feet and came from the Mesozoic era, which began about 250 million years ago.

 "This is such an exciting find as it represents the smallest dinosaur we have yet discovered in the European fossil record," said Sweetman.

Related world records: 
Largest Fossil Spider:  165-million-year-old fossil

Most ears on a cat: Luntya The Cat (Video)

Loudest Cat: Smokey The Cat (Video)

Largest natural abalone pearl: Abalone "horn" pearl

Longest Cat:  Stewie

Longest recorded migration of any mammal: Humpback Whale

Smalles Cow: Swallow

Smartest monkey: Kanzi the 'talking' Ape

Smallest Horse: Einstein the Horse

Smartest Horse: Lukas the Horse

Most ducklings hatched: mallard duck

Biggest Rabbit: Darius the Rabbit

Oldest Pig: Oscar the Pig

Biggest Rabbit: Ralph the rabbit

Longest Animal Migration - The Arctic Tern

Largest genetically engineered trout: Sean Konrad

Biggest bullock: The Field Marshall

Most expensive cow: Missy

Most expensive sheep: Deveronvale Perfection

Longest snake in captivity: Fluffy

Tallest cat: Scarlett's Magic

Biggest Largemouth Bass: Manabu Kurita

Largest Chicken Egg: China

Oldest living rabbit: Hazel

Largest Snake: Titanoboa

Largest number of bird species spotted: Alan Davies and Ruth Miller

Biggest rabbit: Herman the giant rabbit

Oldest cat: Mischief

Oldest living animal: Jonathan the tortoise

Largest school of sharks: the Dubai Aquarium

Smallest snake: Leptotyphlops carlae


Thursday, June 16, 2011


[ World Record Certificate

Bookmark and Share

View Site in Mobile | Classic
Share by: