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Shenzhousaurus

Say it: SHEN-zhoo-SORE-us

Name means: “ancient name of China lizard”1

Ate: A bit of everythingOstrich dinosEarly Cretaceous

Shenzhousaurus was an early ostrich-like dinosaur that lived in what is now China. It had small teeth only at the front of its mouth, unlike later ostrich dinosaurs that had no teeth at all. This speedy dinosaur probably ate plants and small animals.1 2

Lived

126 to 120 million years ago3

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Sihetun fossil site, Beipiao, western Liaoning, China3 2

Food

A bit of everything3 2

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

cool stuff

Fun facts

Shenzhousaurus is one of the earliest known ostrich-like dinosaurs, living about 126 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous.2

Its name comes from 'Shenzhou', an ancient name for China, and 'saurus' meaning lizard.1

Unlike later ostrich dinosaurs that had no teeth, Shenzhousaurus had small teeth only at the front of its lower jaw.1

The only known fossil of Shenzhousaurus was found in a 'death pose' with its head above its body.2

Its first finger bone (metacarpal I) was only half the length of its second finger bone, a primitive feature.2

Shenzhousaurus had a straight ischium (a hip bone), while more advanced ostrich dinosaurs had a curved one.1

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

?How big was Shenzhousaurus?

Scientists are not sure of its total size because the only fossil is missing parts of the legs and tail. Its skull was about 185 mm (7.3 inches) long.2

?What did Shenzhousaurus eat?

It probably ate both plants and small animals. Pebbles found in its chest area may have been gastroliths (stomach stones) to help grind up food.2 3

?Did Shenzhousaurus have feathers?

The fossil does not show feathers, but many close relatives of Shenzhousaurus had simple, hair-like feathers, so it might have had them too.2

?When did Shenzhousaurus live?

It lived about 126 million years ago, during the Early Cretaceous Period.2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Shenzhousaurus
Named by: Ji et al. 20033
Group: Ostrich dinos
Family / clade: Ornithomimosauria3
Classification: Theropoda > Ornithomimosauria3
Age of the rocks: 126 to 120 million years (Barremian / Aptian)3
Rock formations: Yixian3
Countries: China3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Shenzhousaurus was named in 2003 by a team of scientists including Qiang Ji, Mark Norell, and Peter Makovicky. The only fossil was found at the Sihetun site in Liaoning, China.3 2
Still debated: Scientists are not sure exactly what Shenzhousaurus ate, but the pebbles found in its chest may have been gastroliths for grinding food.2

Where the facts come from

An early ostrich dinosaur and implications for ornithomimosaur phylogeny (ia803404.us.archive.org)
Shenzhousaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
Shenzhousaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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