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Hippodraco

Say it: HIP-oh-DRAK-oh

Name means: “horse dragon”1

Ate: PlantsBeaked plant-eatersEarly Cretaceous

Hippodraco was a plant-eating dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period. Its long, low skull looked a bit like a horse's head, which is how it got its name. It was a small, speedy runner that munched on tough plants with its shield-shaped teeth.1

Lived

137 to 133 million years ago5

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Utah, USA (Cedar Mountain Formation, Yellow Cat Member)1 3

Food

Plants2 1

Length

4.5 m1 3

estimate for the only known specimen, which may be a juvenile

Weight

227 kg to 454 kg1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 15 big dogs

as long as 4 dogs nose to tailas long as 25 bananas end to endas heavy as 91 watermelons

How big was Hippodraco compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Hippodraco's name comes from the Greek word 'hippos' (horse) and the Latin word 'draco' (dragon), because its skull is long and low like a horse's.1

The only known Hippodraco skeleton was discovered in 2004 by Andrew R. C. Milner at a site called Andrew's Site in Utah.1 3

Hippodraco had shield-shaped teeth, which is why its species name 'scutodens' means 'shield tooth'.1

This dinosaur was about 4.5 meters (15 feet) long, which is roughly the length of a small car.1

Scientists think the only Hippodraco fossil found might be from a young dinosaur, because its eye socket (orbit) is very large compared to the rest of its skull.1 3

Hippodraco lived about 139 to 134 million years ago, during the Valanginian stage of the Early Cretaceous.1

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

?How big was Hippodraco?

About 4.5 metres (15 feet) long, which is roughly the length of a small car. It weighed between 227 and 454 kilograms (500 to 1,000 pounds).1 3

?What did Hippodraco eat?

It was a plant-eater. It used its shield-shaped teeth to chew tough plants.1 4

?When did Hippodraco live?

It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 139 to 134 million years ago.1 5

?Where was Hippodraco found?

Its skeleton was discovered in Utah, USA, at a site called Andrew's Site in the Cedar Mountain Formation.1 3

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Hippodraco
Named by: McDonald et al. 20105
Group: Beaked plant-eaters
Family / clade: Styracosterna5
Classification: Ornithischia > Ornithopoda > Iguanodontia5
Age of the rocks: 137 to 133 million years (Valanginian)5
Rock formations: Cedar Mountain5
Countries: USA5
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: Hippodraco was named in 2010 by Andrew T. McDonald and his team. The only fossil, a partial skull and skeleton, was found in 2004 by Andrew R. C. Milner in Utah, USA.1 3
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if the only known Hippodraco was a full-grown adult or a juvenile, because its large eye socket suggests it might still have been growing.1 3

Where the facts come from

Hippodraco (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
New Basal Iguanodonts from the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah and the Evolution of Thumb-Spiked Dinosaurs (pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
NEW DINOSAURS DISCOVERED - Utah Geological Survey (geology.utah.gov)
Hippodraco in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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