Dino card No. 1030 of 2,027

Lepidocheirosaurus

Say it: lep-ih-doh-KY-roh-SORE-us

Name means: “scaly hand lizard”1

Ate: A bit of everythingOstrich dinosMiddle Jurassic

Lepidocheirosaurus was a small, fast dinosaur that lived near water. It had scales on its hands and tail, and scientists think it may have waded in shallow water to catch small prey.2

Lived

168 to 165 million years ago3

Middle Jurassic

Fossils found in

Kulinda locality, Transbaikal Area, Russia1 2

Food

A bit of everything1 2

Length

1 to 10 m1

estimate based on PBDB adult length category

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 2 cars parked in a rowas long as 56 bananas end to end

How big was Lepidocheirosaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Lepidocheirosaurus is one of the oldest known ornithomimosaurs, living about 168 to 165 million years ago.1

Its fossils include hand bones, tail vertebrae, and imprints of horn scales.2

The scales on its hands and tail were shaped like crescents and tightly connected.1

Scientists think it may have waded in water to hunt for small prey.2

It is closely related to Nqwebasaurus from South Africa.2

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

?How big was Lepidocheirosaurus?

It was a small dinosaur, with an adult length between 1 and 10 metres, but probably on the smaller end of that range.3

?What did Lepidocheirosaurus eat?

It was an herbivore or omnivore, and scientists think it waded in shallow water to catch small prey.3 2

?Did Lepidocheirosaurus have feathers?

No, it had scales on its hands and tail, not feathers. The scales were crescent-shaped and tightly connected.2

?When did Lepidocheirosaurus live?

It lived about 168 to 165 million years ago, during the Middle Jurassic period.3

?Is Lepidocheirosaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, it is a dinosaur. It belongs to the group Ornithomimosauria, which are theropod dinosaurs.3

?Could Lepidocheirosaurus swim?

Scientists think it may have waded in shallow water to hunt, but there is no evidence it could swim.2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Lepidocheirosaurus
Named by: Alifanov and Saveliev 20153
Group: Ostrich dinos
Family / clade: Nqwebasauridae3
Classification: Theropoda > Ornithomimosauria3
Age of the rocks: 168 to 165 million years (Bathonian)3
Rock formations: Ukureyskaya3
Countries: Russia3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Lepidocheirosaurus was named by Vladimir Alifanov and Sergey Saveliev in 2015 based on fossils from the Kulinda locality in Russia.1 2
Still debated: Some scientists think Lepidocheirosaurus might actually be the same animal as Kulindadromeus, but others disagree.1

Where the facts come from

paleobiodb.org (paleobiodb.org)
The most ancient Ornithomimosaur (Theropoda, Dinosauria), with cover imprints from the Upper Jurassic of Russia (exa.ai)
Lepidocheirosaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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