The species, Dinevenator robustus, is part of a group of bipedal omnivores that once roamed New Mexico.
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Cover Image caption: Life reconstruction of Dinevenator robustus. Image credit: Sergey Krasovskiy.Researchers from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science have discovered a bipedal dinosaur that once roamed New Mexico.The species, Dinevenator robustus, were discovered by a team led by museum researchers Dr. Steven E. Jasinski and Dr. Robert Sullivan, as reported by Fox 59 News. The dinosaur species is a type of troodontid, a bipedal group of bird-like omnivores that were known for having larger brains compared to most other dinosaurs. Dinevenator was discovered from a bone in 2005 in the San Juan Basin in what is northwestern New Mexico. It is estimated to have measured about eight to ten feet long, weighing about 150-300 pounds. The bone found was a left frontal skull bone, mostly complete, in the De-na-zin part of the Kirtland Formation in the basin.Sci News reports that the specimen went through various identity classifications, initially thought to be a new species of Sauronitholestes. By 2014, after other disputes from other researchers, it was reclassified as part of the Troodontidae. In 2026, some proposed considering Dinevenator as a variant of the Mexican species Xenovenator espinosai, but Jasinski and Sullivan concluded it was distinct enough to warrant its own genus, separate from the others. Jasinski, who is the museum’s palaeontology curator and a palaeontologist at Harrisburg University, along with his colleague Sullivan, analysed that the dinosaur had a thicker skull and was one of the earliest-diverging members of that part of the troodontid lineage. “Recognition of a distinct, large, robust, thick-skulled troodontid adds to the unique nature of the ancient ecosystems of the San Juan Basin,” the researchers wrote in their paper, published in the journalFossil Studies.“Different dinosaur groups show closer relationships with species from various other geographic regions, implying a complex interplay between species and systems during the Late Cretaceous of North America.”“This new work illustrates the dynamic nature of dinosaur studies as we continue to test what we think we know,” Dr. Anthony Fiorillo, Director of NMMNHS, said. “Furthermore, it demonstrates that New Mexico clearly has a prominent place in those global conversations.”What are the troodontids?They were a group of bird-like omnivores derived from Troodon in the family Troodontidae, sharing characteristics with dromaeosaurids, a group of raptors that included Deinonychus, and also share similar bird-like characteristics with Archaeopteryx and Sinovenator. They were known for having large brains compared to most dinosaurs and living flightless birds. Analysis of their skulls also showed that they had bigger eyes that faced forward, giving the species good binocular vision, and robust middle ear cavities near the eardrum. This shows that they have keen hearing and could have also picked up on lower frequency sounds.
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