Shanyangosaurus
"Shanyang lizard"
Type species Shanyangosaurus niupanggouensis
- Lived
- 72 to 66 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods
- Found in
- China
- Named by
- Xue et al. 1996
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
70 million years ago
Habitat
The Shanyang Formation records river channels and floodplains in central China. Eggs from the same formation belonged to duck-billed dinosaurs and oviraptorosaurs.
Field notes
About Shanyangosaurus
What it was like
Shanyangosaurus was a small meat eater known from a few bones of the limbs and hips. Its bones were hollow, and its exact place among the theropods is unclear.
Its world
It lived about 72 to 66 million years ago, at the end of the Late Cretaceous, in what is now central China. Its bones come from the Shanyang Formation.
How it was found
Xue and colleagues named Shanyangosaurus in 1996, from a single find.
Field gallery
More views of Shanyangosaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
The evidence
The science behind Shanyangosaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A single find preserves fragmentary limb and hip bones.
- Its limb bones are hollow.
Borrowed from relatives
- A two-legged stance and long balancing tail follow other theropods such as Allosaurus.
Still unknown
- Its exact place among the theropod families.
- Its skull shape and teeth.
- Its complete body size and proportions.
Discovery timeline
- 1996Named itXue et al.
- 2004Family treeHoltz, Molnar & Currie
- 2022Same rocksHan et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Shanyangosaurus
Named it
Named Shanyangosaurus from fragmentary bones found in the Shanyang Formation of China.
The Development and Environmental Changes of the Intermontane Basins in Eastern Part of the Qinling Mountains.
No link available
Family tree
Reviewed the anatomy and classification of the broad theropod group that includes Shanyangosaurus.
Basal Tetanurae. The Dinosauria: 71-110
Read the paper : Basal Tetanurae (opens in a new tab)Same rocks
Dated the dinosaur-bearing rocks and identified eggshell types from duck-billed dinosaurs and oviraptorosaurs in the Shanyang Basin.
Low dinosaur biodiversity in central China 2 million years prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119
Read the paper : Low dinosaur biodiversity in central China 2 million years prior to the end-Cretaceous mass extinction (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Avetheropoda
Sources: Wikidata