Kayrasaurus
Kayrasaurus was a big, plant-eating dinosaur with long claws on its hands. It lived in what is now China during the Early Cretaceous period. It was the largest of its kind found in the Jehol Biota, a famous fossil site.1
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Fun facts
Kayrasaurus had more teeth in its lower jaw than any other therizinosaur known.1
Its neck vertebrae were much longer than its back vertebrae, giving it a long neck.2
The claws on its hands were large and strongly curved, probably used for gathering plants or defense.1
The only known fossil is a nearly complete skeleton, but it is missing the legs and most of the pelvis.1
Kayrasaurus was about 1.6 times larger than its relative Beipiaosaurus, which lived at the same time and place.2
The fossil was flattened into nearly two dimensions, like a pancake, during the process of fossilization.1
Most asked questions about Kayrasaurus
?How big was Kayrasaurus?
Kayrasaurus was about 3.6 metres (12 ft) long and weighed an estimated 117 to 274 kilograms (258 to 604 lb). It was a large therizinosaur found in the Jehol Biota.12
?What did Kayrasaurus eat?
Kayrasaurus was a plant-eating dinosaur. Its leaf-shaped teeth and toothless beak at the front of its jaws helped it eat plants.1
?Did Kayrasaurus have feathers?
Yes, Kayrasaurus was a feathered theropod dinosaur. Its close relatives like Beipiaosaurus are known to have feathers, so scientists think Kayrasaurus had them too.1
?When did Kayrasaurus live?
Kayrasaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 125 million years ago (Barremian, Aptian ages).1
?Where was Kayrasaurus found?
Kayrasaurus was discovered in the Yixian Formation near Beipiao in Liaoning Province, China.12
?Was Kayrasaurus bigger than Beipiaosaurus?
Yes, Kayrasaurus was about 1.6 times larger than Beipiaosaurus. Beipiaosaurus was about 2.2 metres (7.2 ft) long, while Kayrasaurus was at least 3.6 metres (12 ft).12
?Why did Kayrasaurus have long claws?
Kayrasaurus had large, strongly curved claws on its hands. These were probably used for gathering plants or for defense.1
?Is Kayrasaurus a dinosaur?
Yes, Kayrasaurus is a dinosaur. It is a type of therizinosaurian theropod dinosaur.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Kayrasaurus
- Named by
- Liao et al. 20263
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Therizinosauria3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Therizinosauria3
- Age of the rocks
- 126 to 120 million years (Barremian / Aptian)3
- Rock formations
- Yixian3
- Countries
- China3
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Kayrasaurus was named in 2026 by Chun-Chi Liao and colleagues based on a nearly complete skeleton found in the Yixian Formation of China. The specimen is housed at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing.12
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure whether Kayrasaurus was more closely related to Beipiaosaurus or to other therizinosaurs. More fossils might help solve this.2
Where the facts come from
- Kayrasaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- tandfonline.com (tandfonline.com)
- Kayrasaurus 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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