Dilong
Dilong was a small, early relative of the mighty T. rex. It lived in China about 125 million years ago and had long arms with three-fingered hands. Some fossils even show that Dilong had fuzzy, feather-like coverings called protofeathers.21
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Fun facts
Dilong is the earliest known undisputed tyrannosauroid dinosaur.2
Dilong had a long, low skull and a less robust build compared to later tyrannosaurs.1
One specimen of Dilong preserves filamentous protofeathers on the tail and near the jaw, showing that early tyrannosaurs had fuzzy coverings.21
Dilong had relatively long arms with three-fingered hands, unlike the tiny arms of later tyrannosaurs like T. rex.21
Its hind legs were built for running, with a tibia longer than the femur.1
Dilong's name comes from the Chinese words for 'emperor' and 'dragon'.1
Most asked questions about Dilong
?How big was Dilong?
About 1.6 to 2 metres (5 to 6.5 feet) long and weighed around 5 to 10 kilograms (11 to 22 pounds). That is about the size of a large dog.45
?Did Dilong have feathers?
Yes. Some Dilong fossils show filamentous protofeathers, which are simple, fuzzy coverings. These were not for flying, but probably kept it warm.42
?What did Dilong eat?
Dilong was a meat-eater. It probably hunted small animals like lizards, mammals and birds, using its D-shaped front teeth and three-fingered hands to hold prey.4
?Was Dilong related to T. rex?
Yes, Dilong was an early, small relative of Tyrannosaurus rex. It belonged to the same group called tyrannosauroids, but lived about 125 million years earlier.45
?How fast could Dilong run?
Probably not very fast. Its legs were short for a tyrannosaur, which suggests it was not a speedy runner.4
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Dilong
- Named by
- Xu et al. 20046
- Group
- Tyrannosaurs
- Family / clade
- Tyrannosauroidea6
- Classification
- Theropoda > Tyrannosauroidea6
- Age of the rocks
- 126 to 120 million years (Barremian / Aptian)6
- Rock formations
- Yixian6
- Countries
- China6
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database6
- Discovery
- Dilong was named in 2004 by Xu Xing and colleagues based on fossils from the Yixian Formation in Liaoning, China. The holotype specimen is a semi-articulated skeleton with an almost complete skull.21
- Still debated
- Scientists debate whether some specimens referred to Dilong might actually belong to a second, closely related species.1
Where the facts come from
- Basal tyrannosauroids from China and evidence for protofeathers in (ivpp.cas.cn)
- Basal tyrannosauroids from China and evidence for protofeathers in tyrannosauroids | Nature (nature.com)
- Dilong paradoxus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Dinosaur - Dilong paradoxus - The Australian Museum (australian.museum)
- Dilong | Description, Size, & Facts | Britannica (britannica.com)
- Dilong in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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