Huanansaurus

Say it like this: “HWAH-nan-SOR-us”

Huanansaurus ganzhouensis

Huanansaurus ate plants and meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in China.

Quiz me on Huanansaurus

When: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
Named in: 2015 · Lü, J.; Pu, H.; Kobayashi, Y.; Xu, L.; Chang, H.; Shang, Y.; Liu, D.; Lee, Y. N.; Kundrát, M.; Shen, C.
Hip height: 1.1 m · 4 ft
Length: 2.6 m · 9 ft
Weight: 60 kg · 132 lb
Found in: China · Nanxiong
Food and walking: Omnivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Citipatiinae

The story in short

In 2015, J. Lü and colleagues published the name Huanansaurus. The name means “southern China lizard.”

Fossils referred to Huanansaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from China, including the Nanxiong Formation. It was an omnivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Huanansaurus at a length near 2.6 m, hips about 1.1 m high, and a body mass around 60 kg.

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

Close relatives

Citipati

Citipati osmolskae

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

Corythoraptor

Corythoraptor jacobsi

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

Ganzhousaurus

Ganzhousaurus nankangensis

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