Scientists Found a New Dinosaur — the Size of a Crow

Alnashetri cerropoliciensis. Video screenshot: paleogdy / YouTube

The finding was reported by The Independent.

Argentine Patagonia is traditionally considered the homeland of giant dinosaurs. It was here that remains of enormous creatures were previously found — for example, the predatory Giganotosaurus, which weighed about eight tons, or the long-necked herbivorous Argentinosaurus, whose mass could reach 70 tons. However, the new discovery convincingly proves that not only giants thrived in this ancient world.

Researchers from the University of Minnesota, together with their Argentine colleagues, presented the results of many years of studying the remains of Alnashetri cerropoliciensis. This miniature dinosaur, affectionately nicknamed Alna by scientists, lived about 90 million years ago. Unlike its famous titan neighbors, a representative of this species was so small that it wouldn't even reach an adult's knee.

The value of the find lies in its ideal condition. The skeleton was discovered in sandstone in the La Buitrera area (northern Patagonia, Río Negro province). In the language of the Mapuche Indians, this region is called Kakorkom, meaning "desert of bones."

Researchers found a well-preserved and nearly complete skeleton of one of the world's smallest-known dinosaurs, the Alnashetri cerropolicerd science (@ReutersScience) February 26, 2026

Scientists believe that after death, the body of the four-year-old female was instantly covered by a sand dune — this is what preserved the fragile bones from destruction. Thanks to such luck, paleontologists were able to conduct unique histological studies — to examine the microscopic structure of bone tissue, which is very rarely possible with such delicate ancient specimens.

Alna belonged to the Alvarezsauridae family — an unusual group of small predatory dinosaurs from the theropod suborder. Representatives of this family were typically characterized by short but powerful forelimbs, long slender legs, and a lightweight skull structure.

Based on other Alvarezsauridae finds, researchers suggest that Alnashetri was covered in feathers. However, despite some external resemblance to birds, these dinosaurs were only very distant relatives of them.

As the researchers note, although many inhabitants of the Kakorkom desert lived in burrows, Alnashetri was a very light animal that moved deftly across the dunes. Its body was similar in size to a rooster's but had a long tail. The forelimbs were well-developed but remained too short for flight. The tail, although not fully preserved, was estimated by scientists to be proportionally as long as in other typical predatory dinosaurs.

The total length of the animal was about 70 centimeters, with a significant portion of it being the tail.

Notably, Alnashetri is an early representative of its evolutionary lineage. While later Alvarezsauridae had highly specialized limbs with a single large claw (likely for digging into termite mounds), Alna's forelimbs still retained a more versatile form, and its mouth contained numerous sharp teeth. This suggests that it was an active hunter of small prey: lizards, snakes, and early mammals.

The process of preparing and studying the skeleton took a full 12 years. The first fragments of this species — two incomplete hind legs — were found back in 2004. The more complete skeleton, which became the main object of study, was unearthed in 2014.

This work allowed scientists to re-evaluate the biological diversity of ancient Patagonia. The discovery breaks the popular stereotype that the Mesozoic Era was exclusively "the age of giants." In reality, ancient landscapes were inhabited by a vast number of small and medium-sized animals. They played a key role in the ecosystem, but most often remained overlooked by researchers due to the extreme difficulty of finding their small remains.

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