Othniel was a genus of Neornithischian dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period of North America. In 1978, it was named after the famous paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Othnielosaurus was a small ornithopod dinosaur that was about 1.1 m long and weighed 22.5 kg. This herbivore was bipedal with short forelimbs and long hind limbs with extensive processes for muscle attachment. It had a small skull with a horny beak and sharp cheek teeth - it probably had cheek pouches too! The hands were short and broad with short fingers. The legs were slender and the stiff tail helped it balance when running and turning. He had short arms, five-toed hands and four-toed feet, all with claws. It had good vision because of its large eyes. He had long legs with very long shins that made him a fast runner. It lived in herds and laid eggs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Othnielosaurus was a herbivore that ate spore-bearing plants such as ferns, horsetails, mosses and whisk ferns. <\/p>\n\n\n\n