Fun Limusaurus Facts For Kids
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Limusaurus, also known as Limusaurus inextricabilis, was known to inhabit Asia and its fossil remains were found in the Upper Shishugou Formation in the Junggar Basin of China. It belongs to the clade Dinosauria and Theropoda and lived in the Late Jurassic period.
The possible types of habitat that this theropod dinosaur could have inhabited include alluvial plains and fans, wetlands, streams, and also shallow lakes, based on the research and analysis of the formation.
This theropod dinosaur was known to be slender and small-sized and had a small head with large eye openings. The jaws of the adult were known to be toothless and the tip of the jaw had a beak and it had a long neck and legs.
Limusaurus only had three fingers in comparison to its basal relatives.
Limusaurus having a feathered body is a probability but is not supported with evidence. Reproduction of all dinosaurs takes place sexually where the male is known to deposit sperm inside the female body and then the female lays fertilized eggs.
The diet of adults was known to be herbivorous, whereas, the juvenile Limusaurus was considered to be omnivorous.
One interesting fact about these theropod dinosaurs was that these dinosaurs used to transform or some kind of morphological development took place with age. The juveniles tended to lose teeth and their jaw became toothless and the growth of a beak is noticeable as they grow old.
The data and specimens of these theropods have been kept at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. The hypothesis identified for the digit and fingers lost is shared with the evolution of birds and the process where the fingers are lost from the developmental side is known as Lateral Digit Reduction (LDR).
The theropod is considered to be the first member of the group Ceratosauria to have come from modern-day Asia.
It is very gripping to explore this dinosaur, and if you like, read about Chilantaisaurus and Atrociraptor, too.
Limusaurus Interesting Facts
How do you pronounce 'Limusaurus'?
The pronunciation of Limusaurus is 'Li-moo-sore-us'.
What type of dinosaur was a Limusaurus?
It is known to belong to the theropod group of dinosaurs.
In which geological period did the Limusaurus roam the earth?
It is known to have lived in the Late Jurassic period.
When did the Limusaurus become Extinct?
The exact time period of the extinction of this dinosaur species is not known.
Where did a Limusaurus live?
These dinosaurs were known to inhabit present-day Asia, the fossils were discovered in the Upper Shishugou Formation in the Junggar Basin of China.
What was a Limusaurus's habitat?
No information on the habitat of this dinosaur is available.
Who did a Limusaurus live with?
It is not known if these dinosaurs were solitary or lived in groups.
How long did a Limusaurus live?
It is known to have lived around 161-157 million years ago.
How did they reproduce?
This species of dinosaur reproduced through the sexual method of reproduction just like all other dinosaurs and in this process, the males deposit sperm inside the body of the female, and the females laid fertilized eggs which contained embryos that were developing.
Limusaurus Fun Facts
What did a Limusaurus look like?
This dinosaur was known to be a small-sized and slim one and other anatomical features of this dinosaur include a small head with large eye-openings (orbits), jaws that were toothless, a had long neck (based on its skull), and long legs.
While there is no evidence to be certain, it is a possibility that it had feathers. The features of this dinosaur species would have been similar to that of Cretaceous ornithomimid theropods.
The jaw tip was known to be covered by a beak and the Limusaurus was known to have only three fingers, that is, the middle three fingers as compared to its basal relatives that have five fingers.
How many bones did a Limusaurus have?
The exact number of bones that this dinosaur had is not available.
How did they communicate?
Communication between dinosaurs took place through various types of sounds, postures, and gestures.
How big was a Limusaurus?
Limusaurus was known to be around 66.9 in (170 cm) in length.
How fast could a Limusaurus move?
The exact moving speed of this dinosaur is not available.
How much did a Limusaurus weigh?
Limusaurus weighed around 33 lb (15 kg).
What were the male and female names of the species?
Males and females of this species did not have any sex-specific names.
What would you call a baby Limusaurus?
A baby Limusaurus is referred to as a hatchling.
What did they eat?
The diet of an adult Limusaurus, according to research, is known to be herbivorous, and thus, it is believed that it fed on plants. It has been noted that there is a possibility of the juvenile Limusaurus being omnivorous and it might have fed on both plants and animals.
This is based on the research and studies done on their teeth, jaws, and beak structures.
How aggressive were they?
Dinosaurs, in general, were quite aggressive and violent, and determining the aggressiveness of any particular species is quite difficult.
Did you know...
The only type species, Limusaurus inextricabilis, is known to have been described in 2009 in the Upper Shishugou Formation in the Junggar Basin of China.
The genus name is made with two Latin words which are 'mud' and 'lizard'. Their name is translated as a phase – 'mire lizard who could not escape'.
It has been noted that these dinosaurs underwent a transformation or development of some kind, that is a morphological transformation, as they grew older.
It has been recorded that the young ones had teeth and as they grew old, they completely lost their teeth, and instead, a beak growth has been noted.
A lot of research has been done on the teeth of these dinosaurs by different universities, especially the National Academy of Sciences, from the United States of America.
Limusaurus is considered to be the first member of the group Ceratosauria to be from Asia.
The hypothesis about the digit identity of this ceratosaur dinosaur is the same as the evolution of birds or avian digits identity based on digital morphology of manus and forearm of both birds and dinosaurs.
The transformation from teeth to a beak is associated with the shift in the diet from omnivorous to herbivorous and this has been confirmed by the stomach stones (gastroliths) in adults.
It is considered a possibility that these dinosaurs from the Theropoda clade lived in packs as many fossil specimens were found together.
The specimens of this ceratosaur dinosaur and others were known to be found mired in the mud pits and these mud pits were thought to be created by some giant sauropod dinosaurs.
17 other specimens of Limusaurus were found by Shuo Wang, a paleontologist, and their colleagues in 2017. These fossils consisted of ten sub-adults, six juveniles, and one adult.
It has been found out by Mattia Baiano, an Argentinian paleontologist and his colleagues, that this dinosaur forms a clade with Elaphrosaurus and also a new genus Huinculsaurus. Classifications were done when a more complete fossil or Limusaurus skeleton was found.
The formation where the fossils of Limusaurus were found was considered to be a host to several other vertebrate animals and this included at least 14 species of dinosaurs.
The mud pits in which the fossil materials were found are also referred to as dinosaur death pits.
Tyrannosaurus rex was known to have five fingers but later types of theropods only had three, similar to the birds that evolved from them.
The dinosaur with 500 teeth is known as Nigersaurus.
Limusaurs were a member of Theropoda which are known to be the ancestors of birds.
Are Limusaurus related to birds?
As evidence suggests, there is a probability of a relationship between birds and Limusaurus based on its toothless jaw and beak, but it is still not certain.
Were they bipedal?
Yes, the Limusaurus was bipedal, but no other information is available about the walking or running style of this theropod.
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 Brachylophosaurus facts and Xenotarsosaurus facts for kids.
You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Limusaurus coloring pages.
Main image by Nobu Tamura.
Second image by Levi Bernardo.
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