Beishanlong
Beishanlong was a huge, ostrich-like dinosaur that lived in what is now China. It could run fast on its long legs and used its toothless beak to eat plants and maybe small animals.12
When did it live?
How big was it?
How long was it?
How heavy was it?
How big was Beishanlong compared to YOU?
Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
Fun facts
Beishanlong is one of the largest ornithomimosaurs ever found, but the only known skeleton was still growing when it died.1
Its fossils were found in the Xinminpu Group of rocks, which are about 121 to 113 million years old.2
Beishanlong lived alongside other giant dinosaurs like the therizinosaur Suzhousaurus and the oviraptorosaur Gigantoraptor.1
A bone study showed that the Beishanlong holotype had 13 or 14 growth lines, meaning it was a teenager when it died.3
Beishanlong had strong arms and curved claws on its hands, which it may have used to gather food.1
Scientists think Beishanlong was stockier and heavier than later ornithomimosaurs like Gallimimus.1
Most asked questions about Beishanlong
?How big was Beishanlong?
Beishanlong was about 5.9 to 7 metres (19 to 23 feet) long and weighed roughly 375 to 626 kilograms (827 to 1,380 pounds), but it was still growing when it died.31
?Was Beishanlong bigger than Gallimimus?
Beishanlong was smaller than the largest Gallimimus, which reached about 8 metres long. Beishanlong was one of the largest ornithomimosaurs, but not the biggest.31
?What did Beishanlong eat?
Beishanlong had a toothless beak and probably ate plants and maybe small animals, like other ornithomimosaurs. Its strong arms and curved claws may have helped it gather food.3
?Could Beishanlong run fast?
Yes, Beishanlong had long legs and was probably a fast runner, like other ostrich-like dinosaurs. Its build was robust, but it could still run quickly.3
?When did Beishanlong live?
Beishanlong lived during the Early Cretaceous, about 121 to 113 million years ago, in what is now China.3
?Was Beishanlong a dinosaur?
Yes, Beishanlong was a theropod dinosaur, specifically an ornithomimosaur, which is a type of ostrich-like dinosaur.3
Ask Rex about Beishanlong
Rex only answers questions about this page. 10 questions a month.
Rex is an AI and can make mistakes. He runs on servers in the EU and questions are never saved. Never type your name or other personal things.
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Beishanlong
- Named by
- Makovicky et al. 20104
- Group
- Ostrich dinos
- Family / clade
- Ornithomimosauria4
- Classification
- Theropoda > Ornithomimosauria4
- Age of the rocks
- 121 to 113 million years (Aptian)4
- Rock formations
- Xiagou4
- Countries
- China4
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Beishanlong was named in 2010 by Peter Makovicky and colleagues. The main skeleton was found in 2006 in the Yujingzi Basin of Gansu, China.13
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly what Beishanlong ate. It had a toothless beak, so it may have been a plant-eater or an omnivore.2
Where the facts come from
- A giant ornithomimosaur from the Early Cretaceous of China (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Beishanlong (en.wikipedia.org)
- Beishanlong in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
Rex is hungry! Dino Wiki is a dad's project for his dino-loving son, free with no ads. Grown-ups can feed Rex a snack to help keep it online.Feed Rex
Gallimimus
Ornithomimus
Struthiomimus
Deinocheirus
Dromiceiomimus
Archaeornithomimus
Stegosaurus
Iguanodon
Archaeopteryx
Giganotosaurus
Microraptor
Deinonychus