Linhevenator

Say it like this: “LIN-huh-VEN-uh-tuh”

Linhevenator tani

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

Quiz me on Linhevenator

When: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Named in: 2011 · Xu, X.; Tan, Q.; Sullivan, C.; Han, F.; Xiao, D.
Hip height: 0.6 m · 2 ft
Length: 1.9–2.7 m · 6–9 ft
Weight: 23 kg · 51 lb
Found in: China · Bayan Mandahu
Food and walking: Carnivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Troodontinae

The story in short

Linhevenator was formally named in 2011 by X. Xu and colleagues. The name means “linhe hunter.”

It lived in the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from China, including the Bayan Mandahu Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Linhevenator at a length near 1.9–2.7 m, hips about 0.6 m high, and a body mass around 23 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

Byronosaurus

Byronosaurus jaffei

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