Beibeilong
"baby dragon"
Type species Beibeilong sinensis
- Lived
- 101 to 90 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Caenagnathidae
- Found in
- China
- Named by
- Pu et al. 2017
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
95 million years ago
Habitat
The Gaogou Formation records rivers spreading into braided channels, floodplains and shallow lakes in a seasonally dry landscape. Baotianmansaurus, a long-necked plant eater, also comes from these rocks.
Field notes
About Beibeilong
What it was like
Beibeilong was a giant caenagnathid, a toothless, feathered relative of Oviraptor. It is known from an embryo curled inside one of several huge eggs in a nest. The adults were probably giants like Gigantoraptor, among the largest bird-like dinosaurs.
Its world
It lived in the Late Cretaceous in what is now China. Its fossils come from the Gaogou Formation.
How it was found
The nest and embryo were collected by farmers years before it was named. Pu and colleagues named it in 2017. The type species is Beibeilong sinensis.
Field gallery
More views of Beibeilong
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
The evidence
The science behind Beibeilong
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A partial skeleton of an embryo lies with a clutch of large, elongated eggs.
- The embryo has a large eye socket, a domed skull roof and unfused bones in its lower jaw.
Borrowed from relatives
- Adult proportions are estimated by comparison with Gigantoraptor, another giant caenagnathid.
- A feathered covering is inferred from feathered oviraptorosaurs such as Caudipteryx.
Still unknown
- The size and proportions of a fully grown adult.
- Its feather colors and patterns.
- How adults tended their nests.
Discovery timeline
- 2007Close relativeXu et al.
- 2009Same rocksZHANG et al.
- 2017Named itPu et al.
- 2018Close relativeTanaka et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Beibeilong
Close relative
Described Gigantoraptor, a giant oviraptorosaur whose skeleton helps estimate the adult build of Beibeilong.
A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China. Nature 447: 844-847
Read the paper : A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China (opens in a new tab)Same rocks
Named Baotianmansaurus from the Gaogou Formation, adding a long-necked plant eater to the animals known from these rocks.
A New Sauropod Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Gaogou Formation of Nanyang, Henan Province. Acta Geologica Sinica - English Edition 83: 212-221
Read the paper : A New Sauropod Dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Gaogou Formation of Nanyang, Henan Province (opens in a new tab)Named it
Identified an embryo and its associated giant eggs as a new caenagnathid, linking these huge eggs to their dinosaur family.
Perinate and eggs of a giant caenagnathid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of central China. Nature Communications 8
Read the paper : Perinate and eggs of a giant caenagnathid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of central China (opens in a new tab)Close relative
Found that giant oviraptorosaur egg rings had large central openings, where a parent could sit without crushing the eggs.
Incubation behaviours of oviraptorosaur dinosaurs in relation to body size. Biology Letters 14: 20180135
Read the paper : Incubation behaviours of oviraptorosaur dinosaurs in relation to body size (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Caenagnathidae
Sources: Wikidata