Drinker_nisti Facts
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 0.5m |
| Length | 1.2m |
| Weight | 3 kg |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Jurassic |
| Period | Late Jurassic |
| Type | Ornithopod |
| Location | North America |

| Diet | Herbivore |
| Height | 0.5m |
| Length | 1.2m |
| Weight | 3 kg |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Jurassic |
| Period | Late Jurassic |
| Type | Ornithopod |
| Location | North America |
Drinker nisti was originally described as a small ornithopod dinosaur that lived during the Late Jurassic period, approximately 155 to 148 million years ago. However, this tiny herbivore is now considered to be the same species as Nanosaurus agilis, making it part of a complex taxonomic puzzle that palaeontologists have been working to solve for decades.
This small ornithopod would have measured about 1.2 metres in length and stood roughly 50 centimetres tall at the hip, weighing around 3 kilograms. Like other early ornithopods, it was a bipedal herbivore with long, slender legs built for speed and agility. Its lightweight build and quick reflexes would have been essential for escaping the many predators that roamed the Late Jurassic landscapes of North America.
The creature inhabited the lush, semi-arid environments of what is now the western United States, where fossils have been recovered from the famous Morrison Formation. This geological formation has yielded some of the world's most important dinosaur discoveries, including giants like Diplodocus and Allosaurus that shared the same ancient ecosystems.
As a basal neornithischian, this small dinosaur represents an important evolutionary step in the development of more advanced ornithopod groups. Its teeth were adapted for processing plant material, though it likely fed on softer vegetation rather than the tougher plant matter that later ornithopods could handle.
Drinker nisti was characterised by its small, lightweight build with long, slender limbs adapted for rapid movement. It had a relatively long tail that helped with balance whilst running, and small, leaf-shaped teeth suitable for processing soft plant material.
This small ornithopod was likely a quick and agile runner, using speed as its primary defence against predators. It probably lived in small groups, foraging for soft shoots, ferns, and other easily digestible plant matter in the undergrowth of Late Jurassic forests.
Drinker_nisti was first described by Robert T. Bakker, Peter M. Galton, James Siegwarth, and James Filla in 1990. The original fossils were discovered at Morrison Formation, Colorado, USA.