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sharp-clawed runner
Alxasaurus
Say it like this: “AHL-shah-SAWR-us”
Alxasaurus elesitaiensis
Alxasaurus ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in China.
- When
- Early Cretaceous (Aptian) · roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago
- Named in
- 1993 · Russell, D. A.; Dong, Z. M.
- Hip height
- 1.5 m · 5 ft
- Length
- 3.8–4 m · 12–13 ft
- Weight
- 380–400 kg · 838–882 lb
- Found in
- China · Bayin-Gobi
- Food and walking
- Herbivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Therizinosauroidea
The story in short
In 1993, D. A. Russell and Z. M. Dong published the name Alxasaurus. The name means “alxa lizard.”
It lived in the Early Cretaceous (Aptian), roughly 121.4 to 113.2 million years ago. Finds come from China, including the Bayin-Gobi Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Alxasaurus at a length near 3.8–4 m, hips about 1.5 m high, and a body mass around 380–400 kg.
On the family tree it sits in Therizinosauroidea, among the theropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Beipiaosaurus
Beipiaosaurus inexpectus
Early Cretaceous (Barremian) · roughly 125.8 to 121.4 million years ago
Enigmosaurus
Enigmosaurus mongoliensis
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago
Erliansaurus
Erliansaurus bellamanus
Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago