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Lycorhinus

Say it: lie-KOR-hi-nus

Name means: “wolf nose”1

Ate: PlantsBeaked plant-eatersEarly Jurassic

Lycorhinus was a small, plant-eating dinosaur with a beak and long, sharp canine teeth. It lived in what is now South Africa and Lesotho during the Early Jurassic period, about 200 million years ago.1 3

Lived

201 to 184 million years ago3

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

South Africa and Lesotho1 3

Food

Plants1

Length

1.2 m1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 2.5 house cats nose to tailas long as 7 bananas end to end

How big was Lycorhinus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Lycorhinus was first thought to be a mammal-like reptile called a cynodont, not a dinosaur, when it was named in 1924.1

It had a beak at the front of its mouth, like a parrot, but also had long, fang-like canine teeth.1

Lycorhinus was only about 1.2 metres (4 feet) long, about the size of a large dog.1

Scientists once thought a different dinosaur called Lanasaurus was a separate species, but now they think it was the same as Lycorhinus.1 3

Its fossils were found in the Upper Elliot Formation, which is made of red mudstone from ancient rivers and deserts.1

Lycorhinus lived alongside the long-necked dinosaur Massospondylus and the early crocodile relative Protosuchus.1

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

?What did Lycorhinus eat?

Lycorhinus was a plant-eater. Its teeth show wear from chewing tough plants, and scientists think it may have also eaten fruits, roots, and nuts, like modern peccaries do.1

?How big was Lycorhinus?

Lycorhinus was about 1.2 metres (4 feet) long, which is about the size of a large dog.1 2

?When did Lycorhinus live?

Lycorhinus lived during the Early Jurassic period, about 200 million years ago.1 2

?Where was Lycorhinus found?

Lycorhinus fossils have been found in South Africa and Lesotho.1 3

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Myth buster

Myth: Because Lycorhinus had long canine teeth, some people think it was a meat-eater.

Truth: Lycorhinus was actually a plant-eater. Its teeth show wear from chewing plants, and its beak helped it crop vegetation.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Lycorhinus
Named by: Haughton 19243
Group: Beaked plant-eaters
Family / clade: Heterodontosauridae3
Classification: Ornithischia > Heterodontosauridae3
Age of the rocks: 201 to 184 million years (Hettangian / Pliensbachian)3
Rock formations: Elliot, Clarens3
Countries: South Africa, Lesotho3
Fossil records: 5 in the Paleobiology Database3
Also known as: Lanasaurus (older names now counted as the same animal)3
Discovery: Lycorhinus was named in 1924 by South African paleontologist Sidney H. Haughton, based on a partial jaw found in the Upper Elliot Formation of South Africa.1 3
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly how Lycorhinus used its long canine teeth, whether for defense, digging, or eating tough plants.1

Where the facts come from

Lycorhinus (en.wikipedia.org)
Lycorhinus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Lycorhinus 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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