Enigmosaurus
Enigmosaurus was a strange dinosaur with a very unusual pelvis that puzzled scientists. It walked on two legs and used its long arms and claws to eat plants. This dinosaur lived in what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period.1
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Fun facts
Enigmosaurus means 'enigmatic lizard' because its pelvis was so weird that scientists were confused about what kind of dinosaur it was.1
It was a therizinosaur, a group of dinosaurs that were plant-eaters but had long claws like meat-eaters.1
The only known fossil of Enigmosaurus is a well-preserved pelvis and a few other bones, so we don't know what its head looked like.1
Some scientists think Enigmosaurus might be the same animal as another dinosaur called Erlikosaurus, but most now think they are different.1
Enigmosaurus lived about 96 to 89 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.1
It was a medium-sized dinosaur, about 5 meters (16 feet) long and weighing as much as a small car.1
Most asked questions about Enigmosaurus
?What did Enigmosaurus eat?
It was a herbivore or omnivore, eating plants and possibly some small animals. Its long claws were probably used to pull down branches.1
?How big was Enigmosaurus?
About 5 metres long and weighed between 454 and 907 kilograms, about as heavy as a small car.1
?Did Enigmosaurus have feathers?
Yes, like other therizinosaurs it was a feathered theropod dinosaur. Its fossils don't preserve feathers, but its relatives show they had them.1
?When did Enigmosaurus live?
It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 96 to 89 million years ago.13
?Is Enigmosaurus the same as Erlikosaurus?
Some scientists thought so, but most now think they are different dinosaurs. They lived at different times in the same formation and have size differences.1
?Why is it called Enigmosaurus?
Its name means 'enigmatic lizard' because its strange pelvis puzzled scientists. They weren't sure what kind of dinosaur it was at first.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Enigmosaurus
- Named by
- Barsbold and Perle 19833
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Therizinosauridae3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Therizinosauria3
- Age of the rocks
- 100 to 84 million years (Cenomanian / Santonian)3
- Rock formations
- Baynshire3
- Countries
- Mongolia3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Enigmosaurus was named by Mongolian paleontologists Rinchen Barsbold and Altangerel Perle in 1983. The fossils were found at the Khara Khutul locality in Mongolia.12
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating whether Enigmosaurus is the same species as Erlikosaurus, since both were found in the same formation and their skeletons are incomplete.1
Where the facts come from
- Enigmosaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Enigmosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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