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Largirostrornis

Say it: lar-jee-ROST-ror-nis

Name means: “large beak bird”1

Ate: MeatEarly birdsEarly Cretaceous

Largirostrornis was a small, early bird that lived during the time of dinosaurs. It had a big beak and sharp teeth, and it flew through ancient forests in China.1 2

Lived

121 to 113 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Liaoning province, China1

Food

Meat1 2

Length

0.1 to 0.3 m1

estimated from skull length of 32 mm

Weight

0.045 kg3

Height

0.064 m3

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 0.5 bananas

lighter than a house cat

How big was Largirostrornis compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Largirostrornis had six teeth in its upper jaw and six in its lower jaw, which is why its species name means 'six-toothed'.1

This bird lived about 120 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period.1

Its torso was longer than any other known enantiornithean bird at the time it was discovered.1

Largirostrornis had tall spines on its neck and back vertebrae, which helped support its muscles.1

Some scientists think Largirostrornis might actually be the same species as another bird called Cathayornis yandica.1

The only known fossil of Largirostrornis was found in the Jiufotang Formation in China, a place famous for many early bird fossils.1

AI-made picture of Largirostrornis — An AI-made picture of how Largirostrornis 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.

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Largirostrornis
Named by: Hou 19974
Group: Early birds
Family / clade: Cuspirostrisornithidae4
Classification: Theropoda > Avialae4
Age of the rocks: 121 to 113 million years (Aptian)4
Rock formations: Jiufotang4
Countries: China4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Largirostrornis was named and described by Chinese paleontologist Hou Lianhai in 1997, based on a single fossil found in Liaoning, China.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Largirostrornis is a distinct species or if it is the same as Cathayornis yandica.1

Where the facts come from

Largirostrornis (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Largirostrornis – Encyklopedia Dinozaury.com (encyklopedia.dinozaury.com)
Largirostrornis in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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