North America has been a dinosaur hotspot for a century and a half. The Bone Wars of the 19th century, the Second Jurassic Dinosaur Rush of the early 20th, and the continuing profusion of new species and specimens all rely on the fossil riches held in the Mesozoic rocks of Canada and the United States. But the dinosaurs just to the south, in Central America, are only just now starting to stalk into the light. The latest to trot out into view is Tototlmimus, Mexico’s “bird mimic”.

For the moment, at least, the new dinosaur isn’t much to look at. Pieces of the feet and the hands are the only parts yet known. But paleontologist Claudia Inés