What is Troodon?
Q: What is Troodon?
A: Troodon (or Troödon) is an genus of relatively small, bird-like dinosaurs from the later part of the Cretaceous period, 75–65 million years ago.
Q: How did it get its name?
A: The alternate spelling Troödon shows that the 'o's are pronounced separately, as in 'zoology'.
Q: What was its diet?
A: They were probably carnivorous, but some experts suggest they may have included plant material in their diet.
Q: Where have fossils been found?
A: Fossil remains have been recovered from as far north as Alaska and Alberta, and as far south as Wyoming and possibly Texas and New Mexico.
Q: What features did it possess?
A: It had a large brain in proportion to its body weight, a sickle claw on its foot, 122 teeth, and leg bones indicating it was a fast runner. It also likely had feathers although no fossil evidence has yet been found.
Q: How big were different specimens? A: In general, individuals that lived further north were larger than those that lived in more southern areas with Alaskan specimens reaching up to 12 feet long 5 feet tall and weighing up to 175 pounds while southern specimens being around 7 feet long 3 feet tall and weighing up to 50 pounds about the size of a Velociraptor.
Q: What evidence suggests they were predators? A: Its sickle claw on the foot and apparently good binocular vision indicate that it was a predator. Additionally baby Troodon embryos were found inside eggs belonging to them suggesting adults killed other animals such as Orodromeus for their young.
