Psittacosaurus

Say it like this: “SIT-uh-koh-SAWR-us”

Psittacosaurus mongoliensis

Psittacosaurus ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Mongolia, China, and Russia.

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When: Early Cretaceous (Barremian · Aptian · Albian) · roughly 125.8 to 100.5 million years ago
Named in: 1923 · Osborn, H. F.
Hip height: 0.6 m · 2 ft
Length: 1.5–2 m · 5–7 ft
Weight: 12–25 kg · 26–55 lb
Found in: Mongolia, China, and Russia · Öösh
Food and walking: Herbivore · Two legs
Kind: horned dinosaur · Ceratopsian
Family branch: Ceratopsia

The story in short

The genus Psittacosaurus dates to 1923, the year H. F. Osborn described it. The name means “parrot lizard.”

Fossils referred to Psittacosaurus date to the Early Cretaceous (Barremian · Aptian · Albian), roughly 125.8 to 100.5 million years ago. Finds come from Mongolia, China, and Russia, including the Öösh Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Psittacosaurus at a length near 1.5–2 m, hips about 0.6 m high, and a body mass around 12–25 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Ceratopsia, among the horned dinosaurs.

This entry is the whole genus. The type species is Psittacosaurus mongoliensis. Other named species include Psittacosaurus sinensis, Psittacosaurus xinjiangensis, Psittacosaurus meileyingensis, and Psittacosaurus neimongoliensis, plus 4 more.

Other species with this name

Psittacosaurus mongoliensis
Psittacosaurus sinensis
Psittacosaurus xinjiangensis
Psittacosaurus meileyingensis
Psittacosaurus neimongoliensis
Psittacosaurus lujiatunensis
Psittacosaurus gobiensis
Psittacosaurus amitabha
Psittacosaurus sibiricus

Close relatives

Ajkaceratops

Ajkaceratops kozmai

Late Cretaceous (Santonian) · roughly 85.7 to 83.6 million years ago

Craspedodon

Craspedodon lonzeensis

Late Cretaceous (Coniacian · Santonian) · roughly 89.8 to 83.6 million years ago

Dysganus

Dysganus encaustus

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