Hypsilophodon

dinosaur · early cretaceous · ornithopod · england

Tiny and nimble. Hypsilophodon was a small dinosaur, only about 2 meters (6.5 feet) long, making it much smaller than the massive plant-eating dinosaurs you might picture. Its small size helped it dart around quickly and escape danger.

Built for speed. This dinosaur had long, powerful back legs and shorter front legs, which meant it stood and ran upright on its two back feet like a giant chicken. Scientists think it could move very fast through the forests where it lived.

Leaf-eating dino. Hypsilophodon was an herbivore that munched on plants and leaves, using its small teeth and powerful jaws to bite off bits of vegetation. It probably spent much of its day searching for food in the Early Cretaceous forests.

Fossil from England. Scientists found Hypsilophodon fossils in rocks from southern England, dating back about 125 million years. This discovery told us that dinosaurs lived all over the world, not just in distant continents.

Mystery classification. For a long time, scientists grouped Hypsilophodon with a family of dinosaurs called Ornithopods, but recently they have started questioning whether that's correct. More study is needed to figure out exactly where this dinosaur fits in the dinosaur family tree.