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Fujianvenator

Say it: foo-jee-en-ven-ay-tor

Name means: “Fujian hunter, bizarre”1

Ate: MeatEarly birdsLate Jurassic

Fujianvenator was a bird-like dinosaur that lived in a swampy environment in China. It had very long legs, which made it a fast runner or a wader like a modern stork. This little dinosaur was about the size of a pheasant.1

Lived

152 to 145 million years ago3

Late Jurassic

Fossils found in

Zhenghe County, Fujian Province, China1

Food

Meat3

Weight

0.641 kg1

estimated from femur shaft diameter

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 5 bananas

lighter than a house catas heavy as 5 bananas

How big was Fujianvenator compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Fujianvenator lived about 148 to 150 million years ago, during the Late Jurassic period.1

Its lower leg (tibia) was twice as long as its thigh bone (femur), a very unusual feature.1

Scientists think Fujianvenator could run very fast or wade in water like modern wading birds.1

The fossil was found in black mudstone and shale, which suggests it lived in a swampy environment.1

Fujianvenator was a subadult when it died, meaning it was not fully grown.1

It is one of the youngest Jurassic avialans (bird-like dinosaurs) found in the southern part of the world.1

AI-made picture of Fujianvenator — An AI-made picture of how Fujianvenator 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 Fujianvenator

?How big was Fujianvenator?

Fujianvenator weighed about 641 grams (1.4 lb), similar in size to a koklass pheasant. It was a small, bird-like dinosaur.2

?Could Fujianvenator fly?

Probably not. Its shoulder blade was small compared to its upper arm bone, which suggests it did not have the muscles needed for powered flight. It likely lived on the ground or waded in water.2

?What did Fujianvenator eat?

Scientists think it ate small prey like insects or other tiny animals. Its flexible grasping fingers could have helped it catch food.2

?When did Fujianvenator live?

Fujianvenator lived about 148 to 150 million years ago, during the Late Jurassic period. It is one of the youngest Jurassic avialans found in the southern part of the world.2 1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Fujianvenator
Named by: Xu et al. 20233
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Avialae3
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae3
Age of the rocks: 152 to 145 million years (Kimmeridgian / Tithonian)3
Rock formations: Nanyuan3
Countries: China3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Fujianvenator was discovered by a joint expedition of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology and the Fujian Institute of Geological Survey in October and November 2022. It was named by Xu and colleagues in 2023.1 3
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Fujianvenator was a fast runner or a wading bird, because its foot bones are poorly preserved.1

Where the facts come from

A new avialan theropod from an emerging Jurassic terrestrial fauna | Nature (nature.com)
Fujianvenator (en.wikipedia.org)
Fujianvenator 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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