Fun Wakinosaurus Facts For Kids

Wakinosaurus is an Asian dinosaur found in Kyushu, Japan. It is also known as Wakino lizard and belongs to the genus of Theropod dinosaur. It existed during the Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian-Barremian) period, somewhere between 132 - 125 million years ago. This new genus is a tooth taxon based solely on the discovery of a singular damaged tooth.

According to history, in the year 1990 Masahiro Sato, a Japanese hockey player discovered a fossilized tooth of a dinosaur in Fukuoka. In 1992, the genus was named Wakinosarus satoi by Yoshihiko Okazaki.

The generic name Wakinosaurus refers to Wakino subgroup of the Kwanmon Group. Though today it is considered a nomen dubium and an intermediate neotheropod, in history it is initially described as a megalosaurid.

The single damaged tooth of Wakinosaurus satoi had a crown of approximately 2.75 in (7 cm) long. The dimensions of its base were 1.3 in (33 mm) in length and 0.41 in (10.4 mm) in width and had about thirty separations per 0.19 in (5 mm).

This holotype tooth had its similarities to a leaf with fine cutting serrations on both edges.

Wakinosaurus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Wakinosaurus'?

It is pronounced as Wak-e-no-sor-us.

What type of dinosaur was a Wakinosaurus ?

Wakinosaurus is considered to be a theropod dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Wakinosaurus roam the Earth?

The geological period of the Wakinosaurus is the Early Cretaceous period. Other dinosaurs in this period include the Utahraptor and Nigersaurus.

When did the Wakinosaurus become extinct?

The exact extinction period has not been recorded.

Where did Wakinosaurus live?

Wakinosaurus mostly inhibited Asia and its fossils have been found in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan.

What was the Wakinosaurus' habitat?

Wakinosaurus was a terrestrial dinosaur.

Who did the Wakinosaurus live with?

There aren't enough resources from which it could be determined if they lived alone or in groups.

How long did a Wakinosaurus live?

The lifespan of a Wakisnosaurus is unknown.

How did they reproduce?

There is no evidence that could tell us how Wakinosaurus reproduced, however, it is considered most dinosaurs reproduced sexually.

Wakinosaurus Fun Facts

What did the Wakinosaurus look like?

Wakinosaurus is an Asian dinosaur that was found in Japan and has similarities in appearance with basal carcharodontosaurids theropod which is similar to Acrocanthosaurus.

*We've been unable to source an image of Wakinosaurus and have used an image of Megalosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Wakinosaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com

How many bones did a Wakinosaurus have?

The discovery of the dinosaur happened when Masahiro Sato found a single damaged tooth in the year 1990. Scientists have not been able to determine the number of bones the species might possibly have with the limited discovery of fossils. Even the definite structure of the Wakinosaurus satoi is unknown to us.

How did they communicate?

The exact ways of communication by Wakinosaurus are not recognized. However, dinosaurs of the Cretaceous period are known to communicate through hoots, hollers, roars and hissing. It is possible that the same modes of communication were also adopted by this Asian dinosaur.

How big was the Wakinosaurus?

It is impossible to determine the size of the Wakinosaurus as the species is known only through the discovery of a single damaged tooth. But it has been estimated that it might have been 19 ft (5.7 m) long and 6 ft (1.8 m) tall approximately.

Thus, they can be placed amongst medium-sized dinosaurs. Hence, they were smaller than the Tyrannosaurus.

How fast could a Wakinosaurus move?

Considering that this is a medium-sized terrestrial carnivore dinosaur, it is possible could move with the speed to be able to chase a human. However, it is not possible to estimate the time span of the speed of the dinosaur.

How much did a Wakinosaurus weigh?

It is estimated that the animal weighed 4409.2 lb (2000 kg) but there is no way to confirm the value. This shows that the dinosaur was quite heavy like many other carnivorous dinosaurs.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Different names are not assigned to the male and female counterparts of this extinct genus. It has actually been quite difficult to identify what kind of theropod dinosaur Wakinosaurus was or who did it resemble.

Basically, the detailed study of the separate sexes of this species is not possible from the fossil of a tooth of the species. Therefore, it is unknown what might have been the definitive physiological differences of the male and the female counterparts of the species.

What would you call a baby Wakinosaurus?

There is no specific term or any scientific name assigned for a baby Wakinosaurus. But it could be referred to as 'baby Wakinosaurus', 'young Wakinosaurus' or 'little Wakinosaurus', according to the preference of the speaker.

How aggressive were they?

Since the Wakinosaurus satoi is a carnivorous dinosaur of the early Cretaceous period, we can assume that they must have been more on the aggressive side, to be able to hunt on their prey. But there are no resources to prove this assumption.

Also, aggression was a general characteristic of any carnivorous dinosaur since there used to be a lot of competition to be able to meet their high scale diet and also protect their young ones.

Did you know…

The fossil of this species was found by Masahiro Sato in 1990 but it was described by Yoshihiko Okazaki in 1992.

Its fossil has also been found in places such as Nagasaki Prefecture in Japan. Wakinosaurus is also nicknamed Wakino Satoryu.

Since the only fossils discovered include a damaged tooth, it is impossible for researchers to determine its definite structure or how big it grows. Most Wakinosaurus facts are just assumptions which makes many scientists really curious about this dinosaur of the Early Cretaceous period.

The specific name 'satoi' is based on Sato in honour of Masahiro Sato.