Fun Microvenator Facts For Kids

Dinosaurs have given us all sleepless nights. Sometimes out of curiosity, the others out of fear. To feed your curiosity, we have put together some of the most amazing facts about the Microvenator, a small-sized theropod.

The Microvenator celer belonged to the genus Microvenator. The Microvenator temporal range was the early Cretaceous period. They were present in the Cloverly Formation in Montana, North America millions of years ago.

This small-sized predator was found along with some teeth which were initially considered to be their own. This resulted in placing them in the wrong group, Megadontosaurus.

Eventually, it was revealed that the teeth didn’t belong to them but to the Deinonychus. The Microvenator was placed in its proper group, oviraptorosaurian. They were one of the earliest members of the group from North America.

The holotype fossil was an incomplete skeleton that possibly belonged to a young Microvenator. The description and formal name were given by John Ostrom.

This dinosaur had tail feathers and for this reason, it is said to have looked somewhat like a peacock. Paleontologists suggest that this dinosaur was on the verge of becoming a bird. If a few more modifications were added to its bone structure, it would have been a bird.

If you want to look at more interesting articles about dinosaurs, check out our Rubeosaurus fun facts and Mymoorapelta interesting facts for kids pages.

Microvenator Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Microvenator'?

The names of dinosaurs can get quite tricky to pronounce. This small fast-moving theropod belonging to the genus Microvenator is pronounced as 'my-cro-ven-ah-tor'.

What type of dinosaur was a Microvenator?

Microvenator celer was an oviraptorosaurian theropod that belonged to the Microvenator genus. This theropod group consists of the most diverse range of species.

Most flesh-eating dinosaurs that were bipedal were placed under this category. If you are a pro in Latin then you know 'oviraptorosurian' means 'egg thief lizard'. They were given this name because initially the fossils of this dinosaur were discovered in a position that looked like they were stealing eggs.

In which geological period did Microvenator roam the earth?

The Microvenator temporal range was the early Cretaceous period. The Cretaceous period is said to be the longest in the Mesozoic era. The name of this period was derived from the word chalk as this material was in abundance during the final years of this period.

When did the Microvenator become extinct?

The Microventaor was present during one of the nicest times of earth when the sea levels were higher and the sun was warm. It lived during the Cretaceous period, between 119 million to 113 million years ago after which there were no traces of this dinosaur.

This was due to the Cretaceous–Paleogene mass extinction event. Natural disasters, such as a massive asteroid strike that led to heightened volcanic activity, hastened the extinction. In general, these disasters reduced sunlight and hindered photosynthesis, creating a significant upheaval in the Earth's biosphere.

Where did Microvenator live?

This hunter was a small-sized dinosaur that lived in North America. Microvenator fossils have been discovered in Wyoming and Montana.

What was the Microvenator's habitat?

The Cloverly Formation sediments which were found in an alluvial and flood plain setting probably represents braided rivers. From this, we may deduce that the Microvenator lived in places next to waterways.

Who did the Microvenator live with?

Only a sole fossil of the Microvenator has been discovered. Venators in general were solitary predators. This dinosaur did not co-exist with small species like the Deinonychus, Sauropelta, and Tenontosaurus, nor large ones like a sauropod, Sauroposeidon, and Rugocaudai

How long did a Microvenator live?

The Microvenator genus that existed became extinct after the Cretaceous period. Small dinosaurs generally lived for at least 10-20 years.

How did they reproduce?

The Microvenator was oviparous and reproduced by laying eggs. Based on the way the egg fossils were placed, it was concluded that carnivorous theropods laid two eggs at the most.

Microvenator Fun Facts

What did Microvenator look like?

This hunter was a small-sized predator with a huge brain. It had a beak that was half the size of its skull combined with large eyes, a fairly long neck, a long snout, a small head, and a toothless beak.

They were bipedal and might have had feathers on their forelimbs. Each of their hands and legs had long fingers with sharp claws.

How many bones did a Microvenator have?

The Microvenator fossil was a partially incomplete skeleton with skull, hand, foot, left fibula, 23 vertebrae, four ribs, and fairly complete ilia, pubes, femora, tibiae, the left ankle, left humerus, radius, and ulna at the time it was found. The rest was constructed based on their relationship with similar species.

This means it is not entirely possible to calculate how many bones these dinosaurs actually had. They are said to have had hollow bones that were lightly built and long slender hind legs with shorter forelimbs.

How did they communicate?

The Microvenator is poorly studied and due to this, narrowing down their communication technique is not possible. They are dinosaurs and dinosaurs, in general, did not use any complex technology to communicate. They just used certain body movements and produced noises like growls to convey messages.

How big was the Microvenator?

This hunter was a small-sized dinosaur that was 4 ft (1 m) long and 2.5 ft (0.7 m) tall. Their height is similar to that of an ostrich.

How fast could a Microvenator move?

These were some of thefirst discovered flightless theropod dinosaurs. They used their legs for movement. Despite the short forelimbs, they were fast movers. This is because the entire body was small and they were lightly built. The hind limbs were long and slender which carried their streamlined body swiftly.

How much did a Microvenator weigh?

The Microvenator was a small fast-moving dinosaur that weighed around 6.5-14 lb (3-6 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Male and female dinosaurs did not have any specific names. They were collectively known as Microvenator.

What would you call a baby Microvenator?

Apart from hatchlings and nestlings, baby theropods can also be referred to as chicks.

What did they eat?

This small-sized predator was a carnivorous animal that mainly preferred meat. They would have fed on other insects, small rodent-like animals, and reptiles. They were hunted by large dinosaurs like Tatankacephalus and Acrocanthosaurus.

How aggressive were they?

They were carnivores and meat-eating animals are generally aggressive in nature. Small-sized predators hunt and devour prey in a violent manner and this species is no different. Carnivores typically have strong teeth in order to catch and kill their prey.

Did you know...

Turns out Oviraptors weren't stealing the eggs which gave them the name egg thief lizard. They were actually brooding them.

This dinosaur was closely related to the chicken parrot, later called Anzu after the bird-like demon in mythology. This creature was found in Hell Creek Formation at the end of the Cretaceous era.

The height and weight of this dinosaur could have been higher than the estimation from the fossil as the remains found belonged to a juvenile.

What is the meaning of Microvenator?

Most dinosaurs were named based on their appearance. Microvenator celer of the genus Microvenator was also named based on its compact size and predatory nature by John Ostrom, a paleontologist. It was one of the smallest theropods and Microvenator means 'small hunter'. The Microvenator name meaning is 'small hunter'.

Where was the Microvenator discovered?

The holotype of this small fast-moving dinosaur, most probably a juvenile with 23 vertebrae, a small head, hand, and many other bones, was discovered in Wyoming and Montana by the renowned American paleontologist Barnum Brown. The Microvenator temporal range was the early Cretaceous period.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Gravitholus facts and Timimus facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Microvenator coloring pages.

Main image by FunkMonk (Michael B. H.)

Second image by Dinoguy2