LegendaryMei
Mei long
may long· “sleeping dragon”
🦕 Dinosaur🕰️ Cretaceous🥩 carnivore🦴 Troodontidae
0.7 m
Length
0.3 m
Height
1 kg
Weight
A tiny, bird-like troodontid from China famous for being found curled up asleep — head tucked under a forelimb, exactly like a sleeping bird. Its name means 'sleeping dragon'.
When
Early Cretaceous, ~125 million years ago
Found in
China
Discovered
Xu Xing, 2004
Did you know?
- Fossilised curled up asleep, head tucked in like a bird.
- Its two-word name 'Mei long' is among the shortest of any dinosaur.
- Shows dinosaurs may have slept just like modern birds.
Artwork: Matt Martyniuk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.