A Labrador-sized dinosaur, wrongly categorised when it was found, has been revealed as a new species.
The Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, which means mysterious runner, will go on permanent display at the Natural History Museum this week.
Scientists say the dinosaur lived around 150 million years ago and would run around the feet of famous giants like the Stegosaurus.
The Enigmacursor was originally classified as a Nanosaurus but scientists have since made the incredible discovery that it is in fact a new species.
Its long legs would have allowed this small herbivore to dart away from danger, keeping it one step ahead of its predators.
On Thursday, the little herbivore will become the first new dinosaur to go on display at the Natural History Museum since 2014.
Measuring around one metre long, the dinosaur will go on display on the balcony in the museum’s Earth Hall.
Professor Paul Barrett, head of fossil vertebrates at the Natural History Museum, said there are signs that it was not fully grown when it died.
“One feature we look at in dinosaurs are the neural arches,” Paul explains. “These are the top section of vertebrae, and form separately from the lower parts. They gradually merge as an animal gets older, so by examining them you can see whether it was still growing.
“We can speculate that Enigmacursor probably wasn’t that old, as it doesn’t seem to have many of its neural arches fused in place. However, the way the fossil was prepared before it was acquired by the Natural History Museum has obscured some of these details, so we can’t be certain.”
The USA’s Morrison Formation has produced some of the most famous dinosaurs in the world, such as Allosaurus and Stegosaurus.
But not all of its species are as well known, with many smaller herbivorous dinosaurs having been historically overlooked.
Professor Susannah Maidmen, co-lead author of the research into Enigmacursor, says that this new species could be the first of many small dinosaurs to be found from the western USA.
She said: “While the Morrison Formation has been well-known for a long time, most of the focus has been on searching for the biggest and most impressive dinosaur.
“Smaller dinosaurs are often left behind, meaning there are probably many still in the ground.
“Enigmacursor shows that there’s still plenty to discover in even this well-studied region and highlights just how important it is to not take historic assumptions about dinosaurs at face value.”
It is hoped this discovery will shine some light on long-ignored animals and clear the way for future discoveries.
