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Rinchenia

Say it: rin-CHEH-nee-ah

Name means: “Rinchen, after scientist Byambyn Rinchen”1

Ate: A bit of everythingOdd feathered dinosLate Cretaceous

Rinchenia was a small, bird-like dinosaur that lived in the Late Cretaceous period. It had a big, bony crest on its head like a cassowary, and it probably used its beak to eat plants, eggs, and small animals.1 2

Lived

72 to 66 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Mongolia (Nemegt Formation)1 2

Food

A bit of everything3 2

Length

1.7 to 2.5 m1 2

estimates vary

Weight

25 kg1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 6 house cats

as long as 2.5 dogs nose to tailas long as 14 bananas end to endas heavy as 5 watermelons

How big was Rinchenia compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Rinchenia was first thought to be a type of Oviraptor, but later scientists decided it was different enough to be its own genus.1

Its tall, hollow crest on top of its skull is like a cassowary's helmet, and may have been used for display or making sounds.1

Rinchenia lived about 72 to 66 million years ago in what is now the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.3 2

The skull of Rinchenia is complete, but only pieces of the rest of the skeleton have been found, so scientists have to guess what it looked like based on similar dinosaurs.1 2

Rinchenia was a small dinosaur, about 1.7 to 2.5 metres long, and weighed around 25 kilograms.1 2

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

?How big was Rinchenia?

About 1.7 to 2.5 metres long and weighed around 25 kilograms.1 2

?What did Rinchenia eat?

It was omnivorous, meaning it ate plants, eggs, and small animals.2 4

?Did Rinchenia have feathers?

Yes, it was a feathered theropod dinosaur, like many of its relatives.1 2

?Why did Rinchenia have a crest?

Its tall, hollow crest may have been used for display or making sounds, similar to a cassowary's helmet.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Rinchenia
Named by: Barsbold 19974
Group: Odd feathered dinos
Family / clade: Oviraptoridae4
Classification: Theropoda > Oviraptorosauria4
Age of the rocks: 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)4
Rock formations: Nemegt4
Countries: Mongolia4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Rinchenia was named in 1997 by Mongolian paleontologist Rinchen Barsbold. The first skeleton was found in 1984 at Altan Uul II in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia.1
Still debated: Since only a skull and a few bones are known, scientists are unsure about the exact shape of its body and how it used its crest.2 1

Where the facts come from

Rinchenia (en.wikipedia.org)
Rinchenia | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
Rinchenia in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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