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New Dog-Sized Dinosaur Species Discovered
MOFFAT COUNTY, COLORADO, JUN 25 – Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, about the size and weight of a Labrador, clarifies small dinosaur classification and highlights overlooked species diversity, researchers said.
On July 3, 2025, the Natural History Museum, London, unveils the most complete specimen of Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, the first new dinosaur displayed at the museum since 2014.
Between 2021 and 2022, a private fossil company unearthed a skeleton in Colorado's Morrison Formation, initially classified as Nanosaurus.
Specimens reveal Enigmacursor was 64 cm tall, 180 cm long, and roamed in the Late Jurassic, with small legs enabling quick movement.
This discovery illuminates small dinosaur evolution and challenges previous classifications, emphasizing the need to reconsider historic assumptions about Jurassic species.
Beyond this find, many small ornithischian dinosaur species likely remain undiscovered, broadening our understanding of Jurassic diversity and prompting further searches in well-studied regions.
By Issy Ronald, CNN Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur: a dog-sized one that roamed what is now the United States about 150 million years ago alongside familiar dinosaurs like Stegosaurus and Diplodocus. Enigmacursor mollyborthwickae, as the researchers named it, was about the same size as a Labrador retriever, with a tail that made up about half its length, according to a study published Wednesday in Royal Society Open Science.