Fun Jeholosaurus Facts For Kids
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Jeholosaurus is an extinct genus comprising of a single type species, Jeholosaurus shangyuanensis. It is a primitive ornithopod that has been discovered from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China (Liaoning).
The generic name 'Jehol' is the name of western Liaoning and northern Hebei's historical province. The meaning of the name Jeholosaurus is 'lizard from Jehol'. The specific name of the type species, Jeholosaurus shangyuanensis, originates from the Shangyuan area.
This dinosaur belongs to the suborder Ornithopoda, order Ornithischia, and the family Jeholosauridae. Its first two specimens were discovered in Lujiatun in 2000.
It was described and named by You Hailu, Wang Xioalin, and Xu Xing. The type specimen was excavated from an early Yixian Formation layer and dates back to the early Aptian age, approximately 126 million years ago.
It comprised a partial postcranial skeleton as well as a compressed skull. Another specimen found consisted of a few neck vertebrae and a smaller skull.
It is believed that it might have had fleshy cheeks. It is estimated by paleontologists that it had a body length of 28 in (71.1 cm) along with a 14 in (35.6 cm) long tail, which is almost half of its total length. It had teeth like herbivore dinosaurs, but it is assumed to have been an omnivore.
Enjoyed reading these fun facts? Keep reading to discover facts about Jeholosaurus fossil remains, history, classification history, anatomy, body size, Sinornithosaurus vs Jeholosaurus, and more!
If you enjoyed reading our Jeholosaurus fun facts, you must check out our Pisanosaurus surprising facts and Daemonosaurus interesting facts as well!
Jeholosaurus Interesting Facts
How do you pronounce 'Jeholosaurus'?
The meaning of the name Jeholosaurus is 'lizard from Jehol'. The name was kept by Xu Xing, Wang Xiaolin, and You Hailu and can be pronounced as 'jeh-hoe-lo-sore-us'.
What type of dinosaur was a Jeholosaurus?
It was a small-sized ornithischian (member of the order Ornithischia) that possessed many basal traits. It was a primitive ornithopod that was discovered from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China (Liaoning). It was not assigned to any family initially but was later placed in Jeholosauridae. It is also a member of the suborder Ornithopoda.
In which geological period did the Jeholosaurus roam the earth?
The Jeholosaurus existed on Earth approximately 125.45-122.46 million years ago. Its fossil remains were excavated from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China.
When did the Jeholosaurus become extinct?
This primitive ornithopod is believed to have gone extinct about 122.46 million years ago.
Where did a Jeholosaurus live?
This dinosaur was found to have been alive in the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China. The first two specimens of this genus were discovered at Lujiatun in China's Liaoning Province near Beipiao City in 2000.
They were excavated from a layer of the early Yixian Formation, dating back 126 million years, from the early Aptian age. This specimen consisted of a partial postcranial skeleton as well as a compressed skull.
Another specimen comprised of neck vertebrae and a small-sized skull. The layer they were excavated from consisted of fluvial sandstone scattered among tuff.
It is believed that there might have been a volcanic eruption that may have buried almost everything that was within a 50-60 mi (80.4-96.5 km) radius. No holotype has been found anywhere else in the world, thus, it is believed that Jeholosaurus was endemic to Asia.
What was a Jeholosaurus' habitat?
The Jeholosaurus was a ground-dwelling dinosaur. This bipedal dinosaur is estimated to have had a terrestrial habitat. Their habitat provided them to find food and prey to feed on easily.
Who did a Jeholosaurus live with?
It is not known if these dinosaurs lived in solitary or in herds. However, we do know these members of the Ornithischia order co-existed with the Qantassaurus, Titanoceratops, and Byronosaurus.
How long did a Jeholosaurus live?
The lifespan of this primitive ornithopod has not yet been evaluated. However, we do know that it has been estimated that the Allosaurus lived up to 28 years.
How did they reproduce?
These ornithischians reproduced by laying eggs, like all other dinosaurs.
Jeholosaurus Fun Facts
What did a Jeholosaurus look like?
The Jeholosaurus is estimated to have attained a length of 28 in (71.1 cm) and a weight of 5 lb (2.3 kg). The fossil remains discovered of this dinosaur have a partial skull and had to be restored partially.
It is believed that it might have had fleshy cheeks. The specimens suggest a short snout and an extremely large orbit as compared to the size of the skull, indicating traits of a juvenile.
The back teeth of this dinosaur were fan-shaped similar to those of herbivorous animals.
However, interestingly, its front teeth are longer and narrower, which is a trait of a carnivorous dinosaur. This suggests that Jeholosaurus could have been an omnivore that fed upon animals as well as plants.
How many bones did a Jeholosaurus have?
The fossil remains of this dinosaur were found in the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China and comprised of a partial skeleton, which is why the total number of bones it had is not known.
How did they communicate?
Members of the order Ornithischia are believed to have communicated vocally by honking!
How big was a Jeholosaurus?
This dinosaur of the Late Cretaceous is known from the partial remains discovered in China. It is estimated to have had a total body length of 28 in (71.1 cm) with a 14 in (35.5 cm) long tail, 2.5 in (6.3 cm) long skull, 12.9 in (33 cm) long hindlimbs, and 10 in (25.4 cm) long forelimbs.
It was tough to estimate their length as the holotype discovered is assumed to have been that of a juvenile.
The length of this dinosaur is less than half of that of the Sinornithomimus! Sinornithomimus was also quite a small dinosaur, and it is assumed that the adult Jeholsaurus adult grew up to the same size as the Sinornithomus.
How fast could a Jeholosaurus move?
The exact speed of this primitive ornithopod is not yet known. However, we do know that members of Ornithopoda were quite fast and were able to balance themselves with their tails!
How much did a Jeholosaurus weigh?
This dinosaur is estimated to have attained a weight of 5 lb (2.3 kg) during its existence.
What were the male and female names of the species?
There are no sex-specific names for this species of dinosaur.
What would you call a baby Jeholosaurus?
The baby of this species can be referred to as a hatchling or juvenile.
What did they eat?
These dinosaurs are believed to have been omnivores, feeding upon animals as well as plants. This has been assumed due to the teeth of these dinosaurs.
The back teeth are similar to those of the herbivores and the front teeth are similar to those of carnivores. Thus, it has been concluded by paleontologists that the Jeholosaurus fed upon small animals, carrion, or plants.
How aggressive were they?
These dinosaurs of the Early Cretaceous are assumed to have not been quite aggressive as compared to the Tyrannosaurs. However, as they had an omnivorous diet, they might have been slightly aggressive.
Did you know...
The meaning of the name Ornithischia is bird-hipped. Members of the order Ornithischia have their hip bones superficially arranged, similar to those of birds, with the majority of their pubic bone pointing in the downward direction!
Every Ornithischian (member of the order Ornithischia) is believed to have been a plant-eater!
Was the Jeholosaurus a herbivore?
No, the Jeholosaurus was not a herbivore. It is assumed to be an omnivore due to the presence of teeth similar to those of herbivores as well as carnivores.
Did the Jeholosaurus have sharp teeth?
The Jeholosaurus had long teeth present in its jaws. It possessed teeth that were fan-shaped in the back, and longer and narrow teeth present at the front.
Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our Velocipesfacts and Melanorosaurus interestingfacts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Jeholosaurus coloring pages.
Main image by Ballista.
Second image by Ballista.
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