Panguraptor

Say it: PAN-goo-RAP-tor

Name means: “Pangu robber”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosEarly Jurassic

Panguraptor was a small, fast meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now China. It was one of the earliest theropod dinosaurs found in Asia, and it ran on two legs like a bird.1 2

Lived

201 to 200 million years ago3

Early Jurassic

Fossils found in

Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, China1 3

Food

Meat3 1

Length

2 m1

estimate for a subadult

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 4 house cats nose to tailas long as 11 bananas end to end

How big was Panguraptor compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Panguraptor is the first well-preserved coelophysoid dinosaur ever found in Asia. Before it, scientists only had a few limb bones from this group in Asia.2

Its name comes from Pangu, a god in Chinese mythology who created the world, and the Latin word for robber.1

The only known skeleton is from a young animal that was about 2 metres long. It was probably still growing when it died.1

Panguraptor lived during the Early Jurassic Period, around 200 million years ago, when all the continents were joined together as one supercontinent called Pangaea.1 2

Its teeth were slightly curved but had no serrations, which is unusual for a meat-eating dinosaur.1

The fossil was discovered on a hillside in China in 2007 and was so fragile that scientists had to glue and plaster it right there to keep it safe.1

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

?How big was Panguraptor?

About 2 metres (6.6 feet) long. That is roughly the length of a large bed. The only known skeleton was from a young animal that was probably still growing.1 2

?What did Panguraptor eat?

It ate meat. It was a small, fast meat-eating dinosaur that hunted or scavenged for food. Its teeth were slightly curved but had no serrations, which is unusual for a meat-eater.1 2

?When did Panguraptor live?

It lived during the Early Jurassic Period, around 200 million years ago. At that time all the continents were joined together as one supercontinent called Pangaea.1 2

?Where was Panguraptor found?

It was discovered on a hillside in Lufeng County, Yunnan Province, China, in 2007. The skeleton was so fragile that scientists had to glue and plaster it right there to keep it safe.1 2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Panguraptor
Named by: You et al. 20143
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Coelophysidae3
Classification: Theropoda > Coelophysoidea3
Age of the rocks: 201 to 200 million years (Hettangian)3
Rock formations: Lufeng3
Countries: China3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: The fossil was found on 12 October 2007 by a survey team from Lufeng County, China, on a hillside near Xiaolishu Village. It was described and named Panguraptor lufengensis in 2014 by paleontologist You Hailu and his team.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if some other small dinosaur bones from the same area belong to Panguraptor or to a different species.1

Where the facts come from

Panguraptor (en.wikipedia.org)
The first well-preserved coelophysoid theropod dinosaur from Asia (mapress.com)
Panguraptor in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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