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Daliansaurus

Say it: DAH-lee-an-SORE-us

Name means: “Dalian reptile”1

Ate: MeatRaptorsEarly Cretaceous

Daliansaurus was a tiny, feathered dinosaur that lived in what is now China. It had a big claw on each foot, and scientists think it could run fast to catch small prey.1 2

Lived

126 to 120 million years ago2

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Lujiatun village, near Beipiao, Liaoning Province, China1 2

Food

Meat2

Length

1 m1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 2 house cats nose to tailas long as 6 bananas end to end

How big was Daliansaurus compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Daliansaurus had a big claw on the fourth toe of each foot, in addition to the sickle claw on the second toe that other troodontids have.1

Its foot bones were long, which suggests it was a good runner.1

Daliansaurus lived about 126 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous period.1

It was a troodontid, a group of bird-like dinosaurs that were probably covered in feathers.1

The only known fossil of Daliansaurus is a nearly complete skeleton, with the head and neck curled backwards.1

Daliansaurus lived alongside other small troodontids like Sinovenator, Sinusonasus, and Mei.1

AI-made picture of Daliansaurus — An AI-made picture of how Daliansaurus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Daliansaurus

?How big was Daliansaurus?

About 1 metre (3.3 ft) long. That is similar in size to its relatives Sinovenator and Sinusonasus.1

?Did Daliansaurus have feathers?

Yes, it was most likely feathered. It was a troodontid, a group of bird-like dinosaurs that were probably covered in feathers.1

?What did Daliansaurus eat?

It was a small predator that ate small prey. It had sharp teeth with small serrations on the back ones, good for eating meat.1

?How fast could Daliansaurus run?

Scientists think it was a good runner. Its long foot bones suggest its running abilities were better than those of other troodontids.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Daliansaurus
Named by: Shen et al. 20172
Group: Raptors
Family / clade: Troodontidae2
Classification: Theropoda > Troodontidae2
Age of the rocks: 126 to 120 million years (Barremian / Aptian)2
Rock formations: Yixian2
Countries: China2
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database2
Discovery: Daliansaurus was named in 2017 by Shen Caizhi and colleagues. The fossil was found in the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China, and is stored at the Dalian Natural History Museum.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly what Daliansaurus used its extra big claw for, but it might have helped with climbing or catching prey.1

Where the facts come from

Daliansaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Daliansaurus 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.

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