Xenovenator

Say it like this: “ZEE-no-VEN-uh-tuh”

Xenovenator espinosai

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

Quiz me on Xenovenator

When: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Named in: 2026 · Rivera-Sylva, H. E.; Aguillón-Martínez, M. C.; Flores-Ventura, J.; Sánchez-Uribe, I. E.; Guzmán-Gutiérrez, J. R.; Longrich, N. R.
Hip height: Not established
Length: Not established
Weight: Not established
Found in: Mexico · Cerro del Pueblo
Food and walking: Carnivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Troodontinae

The story in short

Xenovenator was formally named in 2026 by H. E. Rivera-Sylva and colleagues. The name means “strange hunter.”

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

The fossils of Xenovenator are too incomplete for a responsible length, hip height, or weight, so those fields are left blank on purpose.

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