“SWIFT” 

Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/Sciurumimus.jpg

Name: Sciurumimus albersdoerferi

Name Meaning: Squirrel mimic

First Described: 2012

Described By: Rauhut et al 

Classification: Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria

Sciurumimus is a very interesting little dinosaur due to how its tail feathers grew in a manner very similar to that of a squirrel's tail. This was very clearly shown in the single specimen fossil found, in which the imprint of the feathers left a clear mark in the rock. It lived in the Kimmeridgian age of the Late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago, and was found in the Rygol Quarry in Germany. It has been placed in both coelurosauria and megalosauroidea. More specimens, especially adults will need to be found before its exact placement can be determined, however the current consensus is that it is a primitive coelurosaur. Regardless, this feathered little dinosaur once again illustrates the synapomorphic character of feathers in all dinosaurs. The juvenile was about .7 meters long, so adults would have been bigger, and it was possibly an insectivore.

Sources:

http://www.prehistoric-wildlife.com/species/s/sciurumimus.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sciurumimus