Yuanyanglong
Yuanyanglong was a small, feathered dinosaur that lived in the Early Cretaceous period. It was an oviraptorosaur, a group of bird-like dinosaurs that walked on two legs and had beaks.1
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Fun facts
Yuanyanglong is the first Early Cretaceous oviraptorosaur named from the Gobi Desert region, while other Gobi relatives come from later rocks.1
The name Yuanyanglong comes from the Mandarin word for lovebirds, because the two fossil skeletons were found together on the same block.1
The species name bainian means 'a hundred years' in Chinese, celebrating 100 years since the first oviraptorosaurs were named in 1924.1
Scientists found two partial skeletons, one with a poorly preserved skull and the other with parts of the hips, legs, and arms.1
Yuanyanglong is a basal oviraptorosaur, meaning it branched off early in the group's family tree, before many other oviraptorosaurs.1
Most asked questions about Yuanyanglong
?How big was Yuanyanglong?
It was a relatively small dinosaur, though its exact size is not given in the sources. It is described as a 'smaller' oviraptorosaur based on the two partial skeletons found.3
?What did Yuanyanglong eat?
It was an omnivore, meaning it ate both plants and small animals. Scientists found gastroliths (stomach stones) in its body cavity, which helped it grind up food.43
?Could Yuanyanglong run fast?
It had long legs and narrow feet, which usually help with running, but its hip bone had a very short area for leg muscles to attach. Scientists think it was probably not a fast runner and may have been better at wading in water like a modern wading bird.3
?Why was it called Yuanyanglong?
The name means 'lovebird dragon' in Chinese, because the two fossil skeletons were found lying together on the same rock block, like a pair of lovebirds.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Yuanyanglong
- Named by
- Hao et al. 20254
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Oviraptorosauria4
- Classification
- Theropoda > Oviraptorosauria4
- Age of the rocks
- 121 to 100 million years (Aptian / Albian)4
- Rock formations
- Miaogou4
- Countries
- China4
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- The fossils were discovered in 2021 in the Miaogou Formation in Inner Mongolia, China. In 2024, Hao and colleagues announced the new genus and species Yuanyanglong bainian, and the full description was published in 2025.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating exactly where Yuanyanglong sits on the oviraptorosaur family tree, since its skeleton is incomplete.1
Where the facts come from
- Yuanyanglong (en.wikipedia.org)
- Yuanyanglong bainian | Dinosaur Database by DinoAnimals.com (dinoanimals.com)
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- Yuanyanglong in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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