Byronosaurus

Say it like this: “BIE-ruh-no-SAWR-us”

Byronosaurus jaffei

Byronosaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Mongolia.

Quiz me on Byronosaurus

When: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Named in: 2000 · Norell, M. A.; Makovicky, P. J.; Clark, J. M.
Hip height: Not established
Length: 1.5–2 m · 5–7 ft
Weight: 4–20 kg · 9–44 lb
Found in: Mongolia · Djadokhta
Food and walking: Carnivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Troodontinae

The story in short

In 2000, M. A. Norell and colleagues published the name Byronosaurus. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.

Fossils referred to Byronosaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from Mongolia, including the Djadokhta Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Byronosaurus at a length near 1.5–2 m and a body mass around 4–20 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Troodontinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Albertavenator

Albertavenator curriei

Late Cretaceous (Campanian · Maastrichtian) · roughly 83.6 to 66 million years ago

Borogovia

Borogovia gracilicrus

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago

Dinevenator

Dinevenator robustus

Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago