Troodon formosus

Troodon formosus

Period

Cretaceous

Location

Europe, Asia, and North America

Length

2.4 meters

Weight

50 kg

Diet

Carnivore

Category

Dinosaurs - Ornithopods

Family

Troodontidae

About Troodon formosus

Troodon formosus

Overview

Troodon was one of the smartest dinosaurs ever to walk the Earth! Living approximately 77-70 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous in North America, this small, bird-like predator had a brain that was huge compared to its body size—making it possibly the most intelligent dinosaur ever discovered. With its large, forward-facing eyes and lightweight build, Troodon was built to be a cunning hunter.

Taxonomy & Classification

  • Clade: Theropoda
  • Family: Troodontidae
  • Diet: Omnivorous (ate meat AND plants!)
  • Locomotion: Bipedal

Troodontids were closely related to birds and shared many features with them.

Physical Characteristics

Size & Build

  • Length: 2-2.4 meters (6.5-8 feet)
  • Height: About 1 meter (3.3 feet) at the hip
  • Weight: 40-50 kg (88-110 lbs)
  • Build: Light, agile, and bird-like

The Big Brain

Troodon's most impressive feature was its brain:

  • Largest brain relative to body size of any dinosaur!
  • Brain-to-body ratio similar to modern birds
  • Likely had problem-solving abilities
  • Could probably learn and remember
  • May have had complex social behaviors

Amazing Eyes

  • Large, forward-facing eyes
  • Provided excellent depth perception
  • Could likely see well in low light
  • Perfect for hunting at dawn, dusk, or night
  • Similar to owls in some ways!

Night Hunter

Built for the Dark

Evidence suggests Troodon hunted when other dinosaurs couldn't:

  • Huge eyes gathered more light
  • Forward-facing eyes gave 3D vision
  • Excellent hearing (based on skull structure)
  • Perfect for crepuscular (dawn/dusk) or nocturnal hunting
  • Could hunt when larger predators were sleeping!

Hunting & Diet

Omnivore Menu

Troodon was flexible about food:

  • Small mammals and lizards
  • Baby dinosaurs and eggs
  • Insects and invertebrates
  • Plants and seeds
  • Basically whatever it could find!

Hunting Tools

  • Sharp, serrated teeth (unique among troodontids)
  • Retractable claw on second toe (like Velociraptor!)
  • Fast runner to chase prey
  • Grasping hands to grab small animals

Feathered Dinosaur

Covered in Fluff

Troodon almost certainly had feathers:

  • Related dinosaurs show feather impressions
  • Probably covered in fluffy plumage
  • May have had wing feathers on arms
  • Kept it warm in cooler climates
  • Lived in polar regions of ancient North America!

Caring Parents

Nest Discovery

Troodon may have been a good parent:

  • Fossil nests with eggs have been found
  • Eggs arranged in a ring pattern
  • Adult fossils found sitting on nests!
  • Probably incubated eggs like modern birds
  • May have cared for babies after hatching

Troodon vs. Velociraptor

Feature Troodon Velociraptor
Length 2-2.4m 2m
Brain Size Very large Large
Eyes Huge, forward-facing Large
Diet Omnivore Carnivore
Claw Retractable Retractable
Intelligence Highest High

Both were smart, but Troodon was probably the brainiest!

The Dinosauroid Thought Experiment

What If?

Scientist Dale Russell once asked: what if Troodon hadn't gone extinct?

  • He imagined it evolving over 65 million more years
  • Created a model of a "dinosauroid"
  • Human-like bipedal creature with big eyes
  • Showed how smart Troodon already was!
  • Just a thought experiment—not a real creature

Where It Lived

Cold Climate Dinosaur

Troodon has been found in surprising places:

  • Alaska and northern Canada
  • Montana and Wyoming
  • These were cold regions even then
  • Shows Troodon could handle cool temperatures
  • Feathers probably helped!

Discovery & Naming

A Tooth Tale

  • First described from a single tooth in 1856!
  • Name means "wounding tooth"
  • More fossils found over the decades
  • Now one of the best-known troodontids
  • Some scientists debate if all "Troodon" fossils are the same species

Cool Facts

  • Troodon may have been smarter than some mammals of its time!
  • Its eyes were among the largest relative to body size of any dinosaur
  • It could probably see colors and judge distances precisely
  • Troodon might have hunted in packs for larger prey
  • One of the few dinosaurs that lived near the Arctic Circle
  • Scientists estimate it could run at speeds up to 40 km/h (25 mph)
  • If any dinosaur could figure out a maze, it would be Troodon!

Troodon was the clever hunter of the Cretaceous—a feathered, big-eyed genius that proves dinosaurs weren't just about size and strength!