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Gigantoraptor

Say it: jy-GAN-toh-RAP-tor

Name means: “giant thief”1

Ate: A bit of everythingOdd feathered dinosLate Cretaceous

Gigantoraptor was a huge, bird-like dinosaur that lived in what is now China. It was one of the biggest feathered dinosaurs ever found, even though its closest relatives were much smaller. It had a beak like a parrot and may have eaten both plants and meat.2 1

Lived

84 to 72 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Inner Mongolia, China (Iren Dabasu Formation)1 4

Food

A bit of everything1 4

Length

8 to 8.6 m1

Weight

1.4 tonnes to 2 tonnes2 1

Height

3.5 m1

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 1.5 cars

as long as 9 dogs nose to tailas long as 48 bananas end to endas heavy as 67 big dogsas heavy as 400 watermelonsas tall as 2 doors stacked up

How big was Gigantoraptor compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Gigantoraptor was about 35 times heavier than its close relative Citipati, which was one of the largest oviraptorosaurs known before.1

It grew very fast, reaching young adulthood at around 7 years old and dying at age 11.1

Its leg bones were over 1 meter (3.3 feet) long, which is unusual for such a big theropod.1

Gigantoraptor probably had feathers on its arms for display or to cover its eggs, but its large body may have been mostly bare.1

It built nests with a hole in the middle so its eggs wouldn't get crushed by its own weight.1

Its beak was very deep and U-shaped, helping it eat a wide variety of food, like a generalist.1

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

?How big was Gigantoraptor?

About 8 metres long, 3.5 metres tall at the hips, and weighed 1.4 to 2 metric tons.1

?Did Gigantoraptor have feathers?

Probably yes, at least on its arms for display or covering its eggs, but its large body may have been mostly bare because big animals don't need as much insulation.1

?What did Gigantoraptor eat?

It was an omnivore or herbivore with a shearing beak, eating plants and possibly meat. Its U-shaped beak helped it eat a wide variety of food.1 3

?When did Gigantoraptor live?

It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 96 million years ago.3

?Where was Gigantoraptor found?

In the Iren Dabasu Formation of Inner Mongolia, China.1

?How fast did Gigantoraptor grow?

Very fast. It reached young adulthood at about 7 years old and died at age 11, growing about 128 to 140 kilograms per year.1

?Was Gigantoraptor bigger than T. rex?

No, T. rex was much bigger. Gigantoraptor was about 8 metres long and weighed up to 2 metric tons, while T. rex could be over 12 metres long and weigh over 8 metric tons.1

?Is Gigantoraptor a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a dinosaur. It is an oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Gigantoraptor was a carnivore like many other big theropods.

Truth: Scientists think it was an omnivore or herbivore, with a beak built for shearing plants and maybe some meat.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Gigantoraptor
Named by: Xu et al. 20074
Group: Odd feathered dinos
Family / clade: Caenagnathidae4
Classification: Theropoda > Oviraptorosauria4
Age of the rocks: 84 to 72 million years (Campanian)4
Rock formations: Iren Dabasu4
Countries: China4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Gigantoraptor was named in 2007 by Xu Xing and his team, based on a partial skeleton found in 2005 in the Erlian Basin of Inner Mongolia, China.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are still debating whether Gigantoraptor had a full coat of feathers or was mostly bare, since it was so much larger than its feathered relatives.1

Where the facts come from

Gigantoraptor (en.wikipedia.org)
A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China | Nature (nature.com)
Gigantoraptor | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Gigantoraptor in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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