Inktober 02 - Tranquil

Also from China, this time from Liaoning, and from around the same time as Sinornithosaurus comes this little cutie. M. Long was first discovered in 2004 and has a name that translates to "sleeping dragon."
Curious, isn't it? Of all the different unique aspects of this troodontid, including a larger-than-average braincase or enlarged nostrils, why comment on the fact that it sleeps?
Well, that is both the most interesting and the saddest thing about the dinosaur. Both specimens we have of Mei are found in what we understand as a very dinosaurian sleeping position. Like the entire superorder itself, it has a mixture of traits both reptilian, with its tail curled around its head, and avian, with its snout nuzzled lightly under its forearm. All well and good, but keep in mind that the fact that we have a fossil in this position means that the animal died in that position. The bones were found in a matrix of volcanic ash and mud, meaning that the death itself was far from tranquil. While Mei slept, an eruption several miles away softly rained pyroclastic glass on the sleeping dragons, tearing up their lungs and leaving them without any way to wake...

Source: http://www.app.pan.pl/archive/published/app55/app20090047.pdf
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