Fun Jianchangosaurus Facts For Kids

Jianchangosaurus is a genus of the many dinosaurs that were discovered in the Yixian formation in China. The province Liaoning is also the site where many other notable fossils of similar dinosaurs were found. In fact, the scientific name of the genus (Jianchangosaurus), as well as the species (Jianchangosaurus yixianensis), are derived from the name of the excavation site!

The holotype fossil of this beautiful creature is a nearly complete skeleton that was unearthed by paleontologists. The only parts of the skeleton that were missing include a distal portion of the tail and a few portions of the skull. The average length of the fossil of this species is lined features that truly make Jianchangosaurus stand out. The treasure trove of interesting revelations lies in its skull, where the jaws and teeth show unusual properties. The buccal margin of the teeth of the Jianchangosaurus are said to have a covering that is only seen in modern day birds. The teeth on its lower jaw, on the other hand, are convex towards the outer side, which, as you can imagine, is quite rarely seen.

The Jianchangosaurus specimen found is said to be of a juvenile, since certain morphological factors were yet to form completely in the creature, such as the non fused cervical and dorsal vertebrae. Imprints were also found on the surface of the fossil that suggests that this curious animal might have had feathers as well, although, not for the flight which gives us the impression that the Jianchangosaurus might have also liked to indulge in performances!

How do you pronounce 'Jianchangosaurus'?

Jianchangosaurus is pronounced as 'jee-uhn-chang-oh-zawr-rus'. The name Jianchangosaurus yixianensis was derived from the site where the specimen was found. Jianchang is the name of the county, and the formation is called Yixian formation, while saurus means lizard. Quite literally, Jianchangosaurus means Jianchang lizard. This site is also where other ornithopods and ceratopsians including Beipiaosaurus were found.

What type of dinosaur was a Jianchangosaurus?

The Jianchangsaurus is a member of the family of therizinosaurs, that lived on earth around 126 million years ago.

In which geological period did the Jianchangosaurus roam the earth?

Jianchangosaurus species inhabited the earth during the early cretaceous period, as is supported by the fossil remains that have been found in the Yixian Formation.

When did the Jianchangosaurus become extinct?

The exact timeline as to when the Jianchangosaurus became extinct is not known, however, the fact that the fossil remains date back to 126 million years ago gives us a vague idea of the time in the cretaceous period when the species may have met with fatal circumstances.

Where did a Jianchangosaurus live?

The specimen of this therizinosaur suggests that the species was herbivorous. Such dietary requirements imply that the species may have lived around grasslands and lush forests, where the vegetation was rich enough to feed on.

What was a Jianchangosaurus's habitat?

The habitat of this therizinosaurian theropod is said to be limited to China since the content is available from only this part of the world. A juvenile skeleton specimen was found in the Jianchang county of the Liaoning province. This province is part of the Yixian formation in China. While this therizinosaur may have been present in other parts of the world, the evidence speaks otherwise.

Who did a Jianchangosaurus live with?

It is assumed since only a portion of the social features of an animal can be understood from its fossil remains, that since the Jianchangosaurus was a complete herbivore, it may not have been aggressive. This species may have thrived in large groups, although, this is just a part of speculations based on the presence of dentary teeth like ornithopods and ceratopsians, among other clues related to morphology.

How long did a Jianchangosaurus live?

Sciences are yet to find out how long a Jianchangosaurus would have been able to live on earth.

How did they reproduce?

All dinosaurs are said to have been oviparous, which means that breeding was carried out through the laying of eggs. The number of eggs that may have been laid in each clutch or the breeding season and courting habits of these therizinosaurs is not known.

What did a Jianchangosaurus look like?

The fossil remains of the Jianchangosaurus consist of a nearly complete skeleton that was found in China. The only thing that seemed to be missing was a part of the distal tail. Some of the features that define this genus of theropod dinosaurs are the skull with a somewhat pointed snout region, a femur that is considerably longer than the tibia, a humerus to ulna ratio that is almost the same as Falcaris dinosaurs, and feathers that served a different purpose than in birds!

Paleontologists have concluded the specimen to be of a juvenile since there are certain developments that cannot be seen such as non fused cervical and dorsal vertebrae.

The only parts of the skull consist of parts such as the anterior edge of the quadrate and ventral lacrimal, but the contents are sufficient to give us a fair idea about the diet of these dinosaurs and the adaptations that they might have gone through.

How many bones did a Jianchangosaurus have?

There are no studies that would be able to tell us the exact number of bones that these basal therizinosaurs of the early cretaceous period had. Although considering the size and the complex nearly complete juvenile skeleton that was discovered, we think that it is safe to assume that the number would leave us astounded!

How did they communicate?

The nature of the call or sound that these therizinosaurian theropods had is not known, however, their size does promise a loud call!

How big was a Jianchangosaurus?

The average size of a Jianchangosaurus is said to be around 6.6 ft (2 m) long and 3.3 ft (1 m). This basal therizinosaur was slender in build and fairly large in comparison to the array of huge dinosaurs that have been discovered to date.

How fast could a Jianchangosaurus move?

While this member of the Therizinosauria family did have wings, they did not have the ability to fly. The agility levels can be understood to be quite impressive given the slender body and the length of the bones.

How much did a Jianchangosaurus weigh?

The average weight of a typical adult of the Jianchangosaurus genus is not known, since the only complete fossil that has been found is that of a juvenile, which lacks many features that would add to the eventual weight and size of the dinosaur. However, this genus of therizinosaurs is understood to have had a light weighted body since they were bipedal herbivores.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no distinct names for the male and female Jianchangosaurus yixianensis. Hence, we have resorted to referring to the two sexes of the species as the male Jianchangosaurus and female Jianchangosaurus respectively.

What would you call a baby Jianchangosaurus?

Since dinosaurs are believed to have been oviparous, the juvenile Jianchangosaurus, from the early cretaceous Liaoning, would be called a hatchling.

What did they eat?

There are certain derived features found in the fossilized remains of the Jianchangosaurus that suggest that the genus had adapted to becoming herbivorous. The length of the teeth, rhamphotheca on the upper jaw and the fact that the teeth on the lower jaw were convex could be an adaptation that maximized their efficiency at cutting through and biting at plants.

How aggressive were they?

While there is hardly any data that can suffice to tell us the exact nature of the Jianchangosaurus when in a community, it is assumed that in nature. Herbivorous species of animals are usually more peaceful and prefer to live in large flocks or groups.

Did you know...

This dinosaur species is closely related to Beipiaosaurus and Falcarius, fossils of which, were found in the same formation in Liaoning province.

The cervical ribs and the sacral centra of the specimen found were not fused, and hence, paleontologists have decided that it was a fossilized juvenile Jianchangisaurus.

The distal portion of the specimen found in the Yixian formation was missing.

The imprints of feathers on the fossil suggest that these dinosaurs might have had feathers for displays, which makes us speculate if the genus was also fond of elaborate courting rituals.

The jaws of this dinosaur from early cretaceous China are of utmost interest for paleontologists since they found aspects such as inversely concave teeth and foramina on the lateral surface of the premaxilla. The latter is a feature that is mostly seen in birds, and hence, there are signs of the adaptations of the genus until it became herbivorous.

Did Jianchangosaurus have a unique jaw?

One of the most unique features of the Jianchangosaurus is its skull and dental morphology. While the upper jaw is typical and has teeth that diminish in size towards the posterior, the lower jaw is what is quite different. The teeth in the lower jaw were seen to be convex towards the inside in the fossil remains which is hardly ever observed.

The set of 27 maxillary and 25 - 28 dentary teeth that have been in the almost intact skull of the specimen that was discovered in China also shows the adaptation that this member of the Therizinosauria has gone through before it became herbivorous.

Was Jianchangosaurus endemic?

Since the fossil remains have only been found in the Yixian formation, paleontologists do believe that the species of Jianchangosaurus may have been endemic to China and the other portion of adjacent land during the early cretaceous period. However, speculations of the landmass of the earth having had quite a different configuration to what it currently has are suggestive of the fact that there might be mysteries that sciences are not able to unfold as yet.

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 Jianchangosaurus coloring pages.

Main image and second image by Hanyong Pu et al.

*Please note that this is an illustration of the jianchangosaurus based on research and specimens that have been discovered as of yet.