Xiyunykus

Say it: she-YOO-nick-us

Name means: “western claw”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosEarly Cretaceous

Xiyunykus was a meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now China, about 130 million years ago. It was about the size of a large dog and had a long, slender claw on each hand. Scientists think it used its claws to dig for food, like insects or small animals.4 1

Lived

137 to 133 million years ago4

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Xinjiang, China1 4

Food

Meat4

Weight

15 kg2

estimate for holotype (sub-adult)

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 4 house cats

as heavy as 120 bananas

How big was Xiyunykus compared to YOU?

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

cool stuff

Fun facts

Xiyunykus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 126 to 120 million years ago.1

Its name, Xiyunykus, means 'western claw' because it was found in western China.1

Scientists estimate that the holotype specimen weighed about 15 kilograms (33 pounds) and was around 9 years old when it died.2

Xiyunykus helps fill a 70-million-year gap in alvarezsaur evolution by showing a mix of primitive and advanced features.1

It had a long, sharp claw on each hand, which it probably used to dig for food.1

Xiyunykus is closely related to other alvarezsaur dinosaurs like Bannykus and Haplocheirus.2

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

?What did Xiyunykus eat?

Scientists think Xiyunykus used its strong claw to dig for insects and small animals, much like an anteater today.3

?How big was Xiyunykus?

Xiyunykus was about the size of a large dog. The holotype weighed about 15 kilograms (33 pounds) and was probably a sub-adult.1 2

?Why is Xiyunykus important?

Xiyunykus helps fill a 70-million-year gap in alvarezsaur evolution, showing a mix of primitive and advanced features.1 2

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Xiyunykus
Named by: Xu et al. 20184
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Alvarezsauroidea4
Classification: Theropoda4
Age of the rocks: 137 to 133 million years (Valanginian)4
Rock formations: Shengjinkou4
Countries: China4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Xiyunykus was named in 2018 by Xu Xing and his team. The only known skeleton was found in the Wucaiwan area of the Junggar Basin in Xinjiang, China.1 4

Where the facts come from

Xiyunykus (en.wikipedia.org)
Report Two Early Cretaceous Fossils Document Transitional Stages in Alvarezsaurian Dinosaur Evolution (sciencedirect.com)
New Dinosaurs Discovered in China Reveal Myth of Reduced "Fingers"----Chinese Academy of Sciences (english.cas.cn)
Xiyunykus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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