Othnielia Characteristics

Othnielia measured 4 feet (1.1 metres) in length, 1 foot (30 centimetres) tall at the hips and weighed 22.5 kilograms (50 pounds). It had a small skull with a beak that contained self-sharpening, chisel-like cheek teeth and large eyes. It may also have had cheek pouches. Othnielia was a bipedal dinosaur and moved around on 2 legs. It had long legs with very long shins and feet with 4 clawed toes. Its arms were small and it had hands with 5 clawed fingers. Othnielia was a fast, agile dinosaur who had a long stiff tail which was used as a counter-balance and balance when running and changing direction.

Othnielia was a herbivore and may have lived in herds. These dinosaurs laid eggs and probably carec for their young. Othnielia was an ornithopod, whose intelligence (as measured by its relative brain to body weight, or EQ) was midway among the dinosaurs.

Othnielia was named by Galton in 1977 (in honor of the paleontologist Charles Othniel Marsh). During his career, Marsh studied and named over 500 early life forms, including many dinosaurs.