'Tiny bug slayer': Meet the pint-size ancient ancestor of dinosaurs discovered in Madagascar

A pint-size predator to bugs may provide scientists clues about the ancient ancestors of dinosaurs and pterosaurs, a study published Monday suggests.

Standing about 4 inches tall, Kongonaphon kely could be one of the last common ancestors of all dinosaurs and pterosaurs, an extinct flying reptile, and explain some of their physical characteristics and traits.

The discovery and description of the fossil of Kongonaphon kely – which means "tiny bug slayer" – could provide scientists big insights since the species was much smaller than most dinosaurs.

"There's a general perception of dinosaurs as being giants," Christian Kammerer, a research curator in paleontology at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, said in a statement. "But this new animal is very close to the divergence of dinosaurs and pterosaurs, and it’s shockingly small."

The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The ancient animal's fossils date back 237 million years and were discovered in 1998 in Madagascar, said John Flynn, curator of fossil mammals at the American Museum of Natural History.

"It took some time before we could focus on these bones, but once we did, it was clear we had something unique and worth a closer look," Flynn said in a statement.

Dinosaurs and pterosaurs evolved from the group Ornithodira, but little is known about their origins. Kammerer said other small animals have been discovered in the group, but they were thought to be an exception. Archosaurs, a larger group that includes birds, crocodiles and dinosaurs, and ornithodirans were all thought to be similar in size before dinosaurs and their huge dimensions.

"Recent discoveries like Kongonaphon have given us a much better understanding of the early evolution of ornithodirans. Analyzing changes in body size throughout archosaur evolution, we found compelling evidence that it decreased sharply early in the history of the dinosaur-pterosaur lineage," Kammerer said.

The scientists discovered characteristics about the Kongonaphon kely, including wear on the teeth that suggests it ate insects and fuzzy skin that retained heat. Both adaptations may have helped the tiny animal fill a unique niche.

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