Longicrusavis houi

† Mei long was a ~0.5m troodontid from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of Liaoning, China. Its fossil was preserved in a bird-like sleeping posture—head tucked under its arm—providing the first direct evidence that this avian sleeping behavior occurred in non-avian dinosaurs.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Longicrusavis houi was a meat-eating predator. Carnivorous dinosaurs were active hunters or scavengers, equipped with sharp teeth and claws for catching and consuming prey. They occupied the top of the food chain in their ecosystems.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Longicrusavis houi lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145,0 to 100,5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.