the untrained eye might have missed it,
it being a descendant of current-day birds, found in Myanmar, the Oculudentavis khaungraae had
at least 23 sharp teeth on its upper jaw, which suggests that the dinosaur ate
insects, according to an
article published in Nature this week. Its eye was canonical
with small pupils and resembles those of a modern lizard, while the edge of the
socket indicates that it was well-equipped to see in bright light,
protected
in a small piece of amber dating back 99 million years, this ancient skull is
changing the timeline researchers have for when reptiles transitioned into the.
About the size of a hummingbird’s, the skull totals .6 inches, although this
avian species is thought to be 70 million years older, after archaeopteryx,
it’s the most ancient bird and the tiniest dinosaur ever discovered. To prevent
damage to the bone, researchers used X-rays to construct a 3D
model that’s shown above,
how many of us would not have given this piece of amber a second glance?
if you have a few moments to spare, this is a video describing the discovery and showing what the creature would have looked like, absolutely fascinating.
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