Fun Byronosaurus Facts For Kids

Byronosaurus is a genus of the Campanian of the late cretaceous period. The remains of this troodontid theropod have been discovered from formations in present-day Mongolia that are known to have been arid deserts 80 - 75 million years ago when the Byronosaurus freely roamed the earth.

These creatures, unlike the troodontids that we know of, didn't have serrations on their teeth - which is odd. This would also mean that the diet of a Byronosaurus jaffei would only consist of small prey that could easily be found in the desert - such as small mammals, invertebrates, baby dinosaurs, or even eggs!

One of the most fascinating facts about this dinosaur is the fact that the study of its specimens proved to researchers that the present-day birds do not have only one functional oviduct is an adaptation required for speedy flight; since in spite of having only one functional oviduct, the Byronosaurus could not fly!

How do you pronounce 'Byronosaurus'?

The name of this beautiful genus would be pronounced as "By-ron-oh-sore-us".

What type of dinosaur was a Byronosaurus?

Byronosaurus is a dinosaur genus of theropod troodontids, that have recently been discovered.

In which geological period did the Byronosaurus roam the earth?

The geological period during which the bird-like genus of Byronosaurus roamed the earth is the Campanian of the late Cretaceous era.

When did the Byronosaurus become extinct?

The exact timeline as to when the Mongolian genus of Byronosaurus may have become extinct is not known to us since the number of specimens that have been found does not provide the required information.

Where did a Byronosaurus live?

The Mongolian formation where the holotype specimen and the other fossil remains have been discovered is known to have been an arid desert during the Campanian of the late cretaceous period. This has been gathered from the fact that the sand and soil that the fossils were red and had the same properties as desert sand.

What was a Byronosaurus's habitat?

The habitat of a Byronosaurus is estimated to have been limited to modern-day Mongolia since all paleontological remains have only been discovered from these parts of the world.

Who did a Byronosaurus live with?

This new troodontid theropod is known to have thrived in packs. It is assumed that in spite of their skittish nature, these animals may have nested in large groups of the same species.

How long did a Byronosaurus live?

There is not enough paleontological evidence or research that would tell us the average lifespan of this dinosaur genus or its type species (Byronosaurus jaffei - Norell, Makovicky, and Clark).

How did they reproduce?

Like all dinosaurs that are known to us, these bird-like troodontids are also known to have been oviparous. This has been proved from the eggshells that have been excavated from Mongolia. It has also been noticed that the female Byronosaurus laid eggs in clusters, which proves that this dinosaur species from the cretaceous period was capable of laying eggs through only one oviduct. This paleontological evidence also proved the fact that modern-day birds that do not have two functional oviducts have not adapted to this feature in order to be light enough to fly.

There are some speculations that the Byronosaurus jaffei (Norell, Makovicky, and Clark) may have taken part in some courting displays since the species had nice plumage. Another assumption related to this Mongolian dinosaur species is that they might be nest parasites - since juvenile Byronosaurus dinosaurs were found in the nest of other species.

What did a Byronosaurus look like?

The most notable characteristics of the Byronosaurus genus are its needle-like teeth, feathered and fluffy body, large eyes, and sharp claws. These relatively small dinosaurs of are often thought of as flightless birds, since a lot of the features are reminiscent of modern-day birds.

The sharp claws of these dinosaurs remind us of raptors, however, they are not as sharp as the latter family. The four-legged Byronosaurus was also equipped with large eyes, which is suggestive of a nocturnal lifestyle in the Mongolian deserts. These dinosaurs are also assumed to have been quite active and skittish, which was aided why their long, strong feet!

How many bones did a Byronosaurus have?

The exact number of bones that a typical Byronosaurus had is not known, since the entire skeletal figure is yet to be found. However, the small size and length of these troodontids suggest that they might have had a considerably small number of bones.

How did they communicate?

There are speculations, germinating from the fact that these dinosaurs had feathers, that they would use elaborate displays in order to communicate among the other birds of the community. There are some assumptions that also suggest that since they preferred to live in packs, this dinosaur species might have also had a call.

How big was a Byronosaurus?

The length of an average Byronosaurus would be around 4.92 ft (1.5 m). With a height of about 1.6 ft (50 cm), these birds or bird-like dinosaurs are fairly small in size. Their long snout and mediocre-sized tail also add to the overall length.

How fast could a Byronosaurus move?

The small size and long feet of the species, along with the bird-like gait of this dinosaur species lead to assumptions that an average Byronosaurus would be very agile and active. It would hardly take any effort to imagine these birds running about in a Mongolian desert, looking for small animals to prey on with their needle-like teeth.

How much did a Byronosaurus weigh?

The weight of an average bird of this new troodontid theropod species would be around 9 lb (4 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

Since there are no distinct names for the two sexes of this dinosaur species, we have resorted to referring to them as the male Byronosaurus and the female Byronosaurus.

What would you call a baby Byronosaurus?

Since almost all known dinosaur species are said to have been oviparous, the baby Byronosaurus would be called a hatchling. In fact, a few fossilized Byronosaurus jaffei (Norell, Makovicky, and Clark) hatchlings have been discovered, which tells us a lot about their attributes.

What did they eat?

The diet of this cretaceous dinosaur species had needle-like teeth, which tells us a lot about their diet. This bird-like species would prey on small mammals, invertebrates, and eggs of other dinosaurs. However, their needle-like teeth lacked the serrations that are found in other troodontids.

How aggressive were they?

It is unlikely that this dinosaur species would be aggressive since these animals of the cretaceous period preferred to nest and hunt for prey in large groups.

Did you know...

The snout of a Byronosaurus is typical of ornithischians - which are best defined as bird-like dinosaurs.

Byronosaurus eggs were discovered in the nest of other animals as well, which suggests that they might have taken part in nest parasitism.

Byronosaurus jaffei had needle-like teeth, that lacked the serrations that are typical to the family of troodontids. These dinosaurs are also related to several extinct animals such as Protoceratops, Citipati, Halszkaraptor, and Velociraptor.

Did Byronosaurus live in dessert?

The holotype specimen, as well as other fossils of this bird-like dinosaur species, have been found in a formation in Mongolia that shows considerable paleontological evidence of being a desert. Additionally, the snout and large eyes of the dinosaur species also hint at a nocturnal, desert-appropriate lifestyle.

Was Byronosaurus a bird-like creature?

While these dinosaurs can hardly be called birds, they do resemble modern-day birds in certain features such as the snout and feathers. Byronosaurus jaffei (Norell, Makovicky, and Clark), however, was incapable of flight- unlike most birds that we know of today. 

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover!

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Byronosaurus coloring pages.