Tochisaurus Facts
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Height | 0.5m |
| Length | 1.5m |
| Weight | 5 kg |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Late Cretaceous |
| Type | Theropod |
| Location | Mongolia |

| Diet | Carnivore |
| Height | 0.5m |
| Length | 1.5m |
| Weight | 5 kg |
| Environment | Land |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Late Cretaceous |
| Type | Theropod |
| Location | Mongolia |
Tochisaurus was a small theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 72 million years ago in what is now Mongolia. This diminutive predator represents one of the more mysterious members of the intelligent raptor-like dinosaurs, though our knowledge of it remains frustratingly limited due to the scarcity of fossil evidence.
Based on the single toe bone that has been discovered, scientists believe Tochisaurus was likely a small, agile hunter that stood about half a metre tall and measured roughly 1.5 metres in length. Like other theropods of its kind, it would have been a bipedal creature with sharp claws and keen senses, well-adapted for hunting small prey in the diverse ecosystems of ancient Mongolia.
The fossil evidence suggests Tochisaurus possessed the characteristic features of its group, including a lightweight build, long legs for running, and presumably the enlarged brain size that made these dinosaurs remarkably intelligent for their time. Its diet would have consisted primarily of small mammals, lizards, insects, and possibly eggs, which it would have captured using its sharp teeth and claws.
Unfortunately, the limited fossil material makes it difficult to determine many specific details about Tochisaurus's appearance and behaviour. The single metatarsal bone provides tantalising evidence of this creature's existence but leaves much to the imagination about how it lived and what distinguished it from its better-known relatives.
Due to the extremely limited fossil evidence consisting of only a single toe bone, specific distinguishing features of Tochisaurus cannot be determined with certainty. The metatarsal suggests it was a small theropod with the typical slender build of its group.
Based on its classification and the single toe bone fossil, Tochisaurus likely exhibited typical small theropod behaviour, being an active hunter that used speed and agility to catch prey. However, specific behavioural traits cannot be determined from such limited fossil evidence.
Tochisaurus was first described by Kurzanov and Osmólska in 1991. The original fossils were discovered at Nemegt Formation, Mongolia.