Fun Chilantaisaurus Facts For Kids

There has been an array of confusion about the classification of the Chilantaisaurus tashuikouensis, although it was confirmed to have been a neovenatorid theropod. Initially, a study by its discoverer, Hu Show Yung, said this species was an allosaurid carnosaur related to the Allosaurus.

However, speculations based on a further study were raised due to its large claws, and they suggested that the Chilantaisaurus may have been related to Spinosauroid dinosaurs.

One species, Chilantaisaurus maortuensis, represented a carcharodontosaurid theropod and was renamed Shaochilong, whereas the species Chilantaisaurus sibiricus is yet to be accurately determined because of the only fossil being a single distal metatarsal foot bone found in the Turginskaya Svita formation in Russia. The Chilantaisaurus zheziangensis is categorized as a therizinosaur, a herbivore theropod.

These theropod dinosaur remains prove that it lived around 122-99 million years ago in Asia since its fossils were found in China, Inner Mongolia, and Russia. In addition, it is confirmed that these were gigantic neovenatorids that preferred living in terrestrial habitats and belonged to the Turonian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch.

In addition, its name means "Ch'i-lan-ta'i lizard" since it was discovered in the Chilantai Lake of Inner Mongolia.

If you want to know more about some other reptiles, check out the Efraasia and the Gnathosaurus.

Chilantaisaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Chilantaisaurus'?

The name Chilantaisaurus is pronounced as Chi-lan-tay-sore-us.

What type of dinosaur was a Chilantaisaurus?

The Chilantaisaurus is a Neovenatorid Theropod type species that lived during the Early Cretaceous or Late Cretaceous period.

In which geological period did the Chilantaisaurus roam the earth?

The Chilantaisaurus tashuikouensis is said to have lived during the Turonian age of the Late Cretaceous epoch. However, the c. sibiricus is dated from the Berriasian to Hauterivian ages of the Early Cretaceous period.

When did the Chilantaisaurus become extinct?

It is estimated that the Chilantaisaurus tashuikouensis dinosaurs went extinct around 92.6 million years ago.

Where did a Chilantaisaurus live?

Evidence suggests that the Chilantaisaurus theropods lived in Asia, specifically in China, Inner Mongolia, and Russia. The Chilantaisaurus sibiricus fossil remains were found in TurginskayaSvita geological formation from the Buryat Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic, Russia. The Chilantaisaurus was discovered 37.28 mi (60 km) north of Chilantai, a salty lake of Inner Mongolia and in the Ulansuhai formation of China.

What was a Chilantaisaurus' habitat?

Due to poor fossil remains, the habitat range of the Chilantaisaurus theropods is hard to derive, but it is known that this dinosaur distribution was mainly found in terrestrial regions.

Who did a Chilantaisaurus live with?

Due to the lack of excavated remains of these dinosaurs, it is hard to tell what type of living patterns they used to follow.

How long did a Chilantaisaurus live?

The discovered remains of the Chilantaisaurus tashuikouensis were poorly fossilized and thus it is difficult to explain the exact range of their lifespan. However, it is known that the average lifespan of the dinosaurs from the family Neovenatoridae was around 35 years.

How did they reproduce?

Not much is known about the reproduction process of the Chilantaisaurus, except that they were oviparous and laid eggs in nests, like most dinosaurs and their present relatives such as the Siamese Crocodile or Chinese Alligator.

Chilantaisaurus Fun Facts

What did a Chilantaisaurus look like?

Since the discovered remains contained only a few bones such as the femur, teeth, shinbone, first toe bone, humerus, calf bone, and hip bone, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact features of the Chilantaisaurus.

It was speculated that they shared similar features as the Shaochilong, but the stark size difference between the two avoided them from being considered the same species.

In addition, the large claws found on the forelimbs were a common characteristic of Spinosauroids, suggesting that it could have been a primitive member of the family Spinosauridae.

Some research suggests that these dinosaurs could have had scaly skin with thin feathers, with a brown, blue, or green shade to help them catch prey or avoid attention by camouflaging with the environment.

How many bones did a Chilantaisaurus have?

The fossilized remains of the Chilantaisaurus tashuikouensis were poorly preserved and only the teeth, first toe bone, shinbone, thighbone, humerus, calf bone, and hip bone were recovered. The Chilantaisaurus skull and vertebrae were not retracted, which is also why the Chilantaisaurus size is not clearly determined.

How did they communicate?

The communication of C. tashuikouensis has not been recorded. However, several dinosaurs from the Theropoda clade are suspected to have communicated via visual as well as vocal displays.

There is immense speculation that these dinosaurs could have communicated by clapping their jaws, hissing, grinding their mandibles, or by rubbing their scales, depending on the circumstances. For example, courtship would involve physical display with some mating calls, whereas territorial disputes would include aggressive roars and fights.

How big was a Chilantaisaurus?

Although the Chilantaisaurus height is unknown, research has estimated that these dinosaurs were around 36-43 ft (11-13 m) in length, which is slightly longer than the Whale Shark.

How fast could a Chilantaisaurus move?

Although the speed at which Chilantaisaurus dinosaurs could move is unknown, most members of the Theropoda clade were around 27 mph (43.45 kph).

How much did a Chilantaisaurus weigh?

The Chilantaisaurus weight can be measured between 6,172.94-13,227.74 lb (2,800-6,000 kg), which is around the same weight as the African Bush Elephant.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Males and females of this family of dinosaurs do not have separate names. This carnosaur species shares a common name, Chilantaisaurus, which means "Ch'i-lan-ta'i lizard".

What would you call a baby Chilantaisaurus?

Based on the classification of these theropods, their babies would be called hatchlings, nestlings, or chicks.

What did they eat?

Based on the confusing classification disputes of the Chilantaisaurus tashuikouensis, there were speculations that these dinosaurs fed on either small dinosaurs or fish.

How aggressive were they?

Considering the C. tashuikouensis was one of the large carnivore theropods, they would have been intelligent apex predators. This means they would have been highly territorial as well as predatory, and both these features involve a certain level of aggression.

Did you know...

In 2009, the species Chilantaisaurus maortuensis was reclassified based on further evidence as Shaochilong maortuensis.

How big was the Chilantaisaurus compared to other theropods?

Although the Spinosaurus is considered to be the biggest theropod in size with a striking length of around 49 ft (15 m), the Chilantaisaurus had a competitive size range of around 36-43 ft (11-13 m), giving it a spot among the gigantic Theropoda species.

One of the smallest theropods was the Anchiornis huxleyi with a length of about 13 in (33.02 cm) only, proving that the Chilantaisaurus was quite large.

How was the Chilantaisaurus discovered?

The first-ever fossil discovered was found by Hu Show Yung in 1964. The remains were excavated from the Ulansuhai formation of China. Further discoveries in Lake Chilantai of Inner Mongolia and the Turginskaya Svita formation of Russia, although from the early Cretaceous period, helped in confirming the classification of this species.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Deltadromeus facts and Gasosaurus facts pages.

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

*The first and the second images are illustrations done by FunkMonk (Michael B. H.)