Nuthetes
Nuthetes was a small, meat-eating dinosaur that lived about 143 million years ago. It had sharp, serrated teeth like a steak knife, perfect for slicing through flesh. Scientists think it might have been one of the earliest dromaeosaurids, the group that includes Velociraptor.1
When did it live?
How big was it?
How long was it?
How heavy was it?
How big was Nuthetes compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Fun facts
Nuthetes was first thought to be a lizard or a crocodile, but later scientists realized it was a dinosaur.1
Its name comes from Greek and means 'one who admonishes' or 'a monitor', because its teeth look like those of a modern monitor lizard.1
Nuthetes is known only from teeth and jaw fragments, so scientists are not sure exactly what it looked like.1
If Nuthetes was a dromaeosaurid, it would be one of the oldest dromaeosaurids ever found.1
Some scientists think Nuthetes might be a tyrannosauroid instead of a dromaeosaurid, because its teeth look similar to those of Proceratosaurus.1
The first Nuthetes fossil was found by Charles Willcox, an amateur fossil hunter, in a quarry near Swanage, England.1
Nuthetes was about the size of a modern Bengal monitor lizard, which is around 1.5 to 2 meters long.1
Most asked questions about Nuthetes
?How big was Nuthetes?
Nuthetes was small, about the size of a modern Bengal monitor lizard, which is around 1.5 to 2 meters long. Scientists estimate its skull was about 250 mm long.12
?What did Nuthetes eat?
Nuthetes was a meat-eating dinosaur. It had sharp, serrated teeth for piercing, cutting, and lacerating prey.1
?Was Nuthetes a dinosaur?
Yes, Nuthetes is a dinosaur. It was originally thought to be a lizard or crocodile, but in 1888 scientists realized it was a dinosaur.1
?When did Nuthetes live?
Nuthetes lived about 143 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period.1
Ask Rex about Nuthetes
Rex only answers questions about this page. 3 questions a day.
Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.
Myth buster
Myth: Nuthetes was a giant dinosaur like T. rex.
Truth: Nuthetes was actually a small predator, only about 1.5 to 2 meters long, similar in size to a monitor lizard.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Nuthetes
- Named by
- Owen 18543
- Group
- Raptors
- Family / clade
- Dromaeosauridae3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Dromaeosauridae3
- Age of the rocks
- 143 to 137 million years (Berriasian)3
- Rock formations
- Lulworth3
- Countries
- United Kingdom, France3
- Fossil records
- 7 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Nuthetes was named and described by Richard Owen in 1854 based on a jaw fragment with teeth found by Charles Willcox in the Purbeck Limestone of Dorset, England.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating whether Nuthetes was a dromaeosaurid (like Velociraptor) or a tyrannosauroid (like T. rex), because only teeth and jaw pieces have been found.1
Where the facts come from
- Nuthetes (en.wikipedia.org)
- Nuthetes and other Purbeck theropods (web.archive.org)
- Nuthetes in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex
Velociraptor
Microraptor
Deinonychus
Asiamericana
Richardoestesia
Saurornitholestes
Stegosaurus
Iguanodon
Archaeopteryx
Giganotosaurus
Baryonyx
Paronychodon