Thescelosaurus

dinosaur · cretaceous · small · fast

Tiny speedy dino. Thescelosaurus was much smaller than the giant dinosaurs you might picture. It was a nimble ornithischian dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period in western North America, millions of years before the dinosaurs went extinct.

Discovered in 1913. A paleontologist named Charles W. Gilmore officially named and described Thescelosaurus in 1913, giving it a place in dinosaur history. The main species is called T. neglectus, though scientists have identified other species too.

Family namesake. Thescelosaurus is so important that an entire family of dinosaurs, the Thescelosauridae, is named after it. This little dinosaur is the star example that gives the whole family its name.

Ancient mysteries. Scientists debate exactly where Thescelosaurus fits in the dinosaur family tree. Some think it was a primitive ornithopod, while others place it in a broader group called Neornithischia, showing there's still much to learn about it.