Corythoraptor
Corythoraptor was a dinosaur that looked a lot like a modern cassowary bird. It had a tall, bony crest on its head and a long neck. It lived in what is now China, about 72 to 66 million years ago.31
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Fun facts
Corythoraptor had a tall, hollow crest on its head, just like a cassowary bird. Scientists think this crest was used for showing off, communicating, and maybe attracting a mate.1
Its neck was twice as long as its back and slightly longer than its whole arm, including the hand.1
The only known fossil of Corythoraptor is from a young adult that was about eight years old when it died.1
Corythoraptor belonged to a group of dinosaurs called oviraptorids, which had short, deep skulls and no teeth.1
This dinosaur was named after Professor Louis L. Jacobs, a paleontologist who helped teach the scientists who described it.1
Corythoraptor lived alongside six other oviraptorid dinosaurs in the Ganzhou area, making it one of the most diverse places for these dinosaurs.1
Most asked questions about Corythoraptor
?How big was Corythoraptor?
About 1.6 metres long. That is about as long as a tall human.2
?Did Corythoraptor have feathers?
Yes. Like other oviraptorids, it was a feathered theropod dinosaur. The page says it was a feathered theropod.2
?What did Corythoraptor eat?
It was toothless and had a beak, so scientists think it ate plants, nuts, and seeds. It may have eaten different foods from other oviraptorids it lived with.2
?Why did Corythoraptor have a crest?
The tall crest was probably used for showing off, communicating with others, and attracting a mate. It was hollow and may have helped the dinosaur hear low sounds.2
?When did Corythoraptor go extinct?
It lived about 72 to 66 million years ago, during the very end of the Cretaceous Period. Like all non-bird dinosaurs, it went extinct at the end of the Cretaceous.2
?Is Corythoraptor a dinosaur?
Yes, it is a dinosaur. Specifically, it was an oviraptorid theropod dinosaur.2
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Corythoraptor
- Named by
- Lü et al. 20173
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Oviraptoridae3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Oviraptorosauria3
- Age of the rocks
- 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)3
- Rock formations
- Hekou3
- Countries
- China3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Corythoraptor was named in 2017 by a team led by Lü Junchang. The only skeleton was found near a railway station in Ganzhou, China, and is kept at the Jinzhou Paleontological Museum.31
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly what the crest on Corythoraptor's head was used for. They think it might have been for display, communication, or showing fitness during mating.1
Where the facts come from
- High diversity of the Ganzhou Oviraptorid Fauna increased by a new “cassowary-like” crested species - PMC (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
- Corythoraptor (en.wikipedia.org)
- Corythoraptor in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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