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Suzhousaurus

Say it: soo-ZHOO-sore-us

Name means: “Suzhou lizard”1

Ate: PlantsOdd feathered dinosEarly Cretaceous

Suzhousaurus was a huge, plant-eating dinosaur with a big belly, strong legs, and long claws. It lived in China during the Early Cretaceous, about 124 to 113 million years ago. It probably had feathers, just like its close relatives!1

Lived

121 to 110 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Gansu Province, China, in the Xiagou and Zhonggou Formations1

Food

Plants1 2

Length

6 m1

estimated

Weight

3.1 tonnes1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

as long as 3 bicycles in a rowas long as 33 bananas end to endas heavy as 2 carsas heavy as 100 big dogsas heavy as 620 watermelons

How big was Suzhousaurus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Suzhousaurus was one of the largest Early Cretaceous therizinosauroids, reaching about 6 metres (20 feet) long and weighing around 3.1 tonnes (3,100 kilograms).1

Its upper arm bone (humerus) had very expanded ends and a big entepicondyle, which helped scientists identify it as a therizinosauroid.3

Unlike more advanced therizinosaurids, Suzhousaurus's backbone was not highly pneumatized, meaning it had fewer air spaces in its vertebrae.1

Its pelvis was opisthopubic, a feature that is typical of therizinosaurids, even though Suzhousaurus was a more basal member of the group.1

Suzhousaurus had a large belly and a reduced tail, which helped it balance its heavy body.1

Feather impressions from the related Beipiaosaurus suggest that Suzhousaurus was probably at least partially feathered.1

The first specimen, FRDC-GSJB-99, was found in 1999 and includes a right humerus, shoulder bones, ten back vertebrae, and part of the pelvis, but no skull.1

A second, more complete skeleton found in 2004 includes the sacrum, tail vertebrae, a nearly complete pelvis, and both thigh bones.1

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

?How big was Suzhousaurus?

Suzhousaurus was about 6 metres (20 feet) long and weighed around 3.1 tonnes (3,100 kilograms). That makes it one of the largest Early Cretaceous therizinosauroids.1

?What did Suzhousaurus eat?

It was a plant-eater. It had a big belly, strong legs, and long claws for browsing on plants.1

?Did Suzhousaurus have feathers?

Probably yes. Feather impressions from its close relative Beipiaosaurus suggest that Suzhousaurus was at least partially feathered.1

?When did Suzhousaurus live?

It lived during the Early Cretaceous, about 124 to 113 million years ago, in what is now China.1

?Was Suzhousaurus a dinosaur?

Yes, it was a theropod dinosaur, specifically a therizinosauroid.1

?Why did Suzhousaurus have long claws?

Its long claws were probably used for pulling down branches and leaves to eat, like other therizinosauroids.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Suzhousaurus was a fierce meat-eater because it had big claws.

Truth: Actually, Suzhousaurus was a herbivore. Its claws were probably used for pulling down branches or digging, not for hunting.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Suzhousaurus
Named by: Li et al. 20074
Group: Odd feathered dinos
Family / clade: Therizinosauridae4
Classification: Theropoda > Therizinosauria4
Age of the rocks: 121 to 110 million years (Aptian / Albian)4
Rock formations: Xiagou, Zhonggou4
Countries: China4
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: The first Suzhousaurus fossil was found in 1999 in the Yujingzi Basin, China. Scientists named it Suzhousaurus megatherioides in 2007, and the name means 'Suzhou lizard' after the old name for the Jiuquan area.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Suzhousaurus is the same animal as another therizinosauroid called 'Nanshiungosaurus' bohlini, because the fossils do not overlap and the original specimen is lost.1

Where the facts come from

Suzhousaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
A Large Therizinosauroid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of Northwestern China (onlinelibrary.wiley.com)
Suzhousaurus 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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