File:Shuvuuia UDL.png

English: Shuvuuia is a small, bird-like theropod in the family Alvarezsauridae. It is one of the smallest known non-avian dinosaurs, at just 1 m in length and weighing about 3.5 kg. Shuvuuia had a fragile skull, long legs for running, and short powerful arms with a large claw on each hand. Like all alvarezsaurids, it is thought that the small but robust arms were adapted for digging and tearing. This, along with the long tube-like snout suggest that Shuvuuia fed on colonial insects like termites. Shuvuuia's skull is unique in its ability to flex the upper jaw independently from the rest of the skull.