Fun Segnosaurus Facts For Kids

The Segnosaurus (slow lizard) is a genus of dinosaurs from clades Dinosauria, Saurischia, and Theropoda and the family Therizinosauridae. The type species of the genus is documented to be Segnosaurus galbinensis. These Asian theropods inhabited Mongolia between the middle and upper ages of the late Cretaceous period. Fossil remains of the dinosaur were first uncovered from the Bayan Shireh formation in Mongolia in 1973. Features of the dinosaur were first documented by Mongolian paleontologist Altangerel Perle in 1979. Is it uncertain whether the diet of these Therizinosaurs was herbivorous or carnivorous.

If the uniqueness of the Segnosaurus makes you interested in reading more about similar species, you can read about the Caudipteryx and the Bruhathkayosaurus.

How do you pronounce 'Segnosaurus'?

The generic name Segnosaurus is pronounced as 'seg-no-sore-us' meaning slow lizard. Altangerel Perle named the genus and type species in 1979. The genus name originated from the Latin word 'segnis' and the ancient Greek word 'saurus' meaning 'slow' and 'lizard', respectively, and the specific name of the species Segnosaurus galbinensis refers to the Galbin region in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia.

What type of dinosaur was a Segnosaurus?

The Segnosaurus is yet another generic classification among Therizinosaurs. This species of Theropods belongs to the clade Saurischia. Due to several speculations of various paleontologists, it is not confirmed whether this dinosaur was carnivorous like species of Theropods or herbivorous having weak teeth.

In which geological period did the Segnosaurus roam the Earth?

These Theropod dinosaurs from the family of Therizinosaurs were known to live from the middle to the upper age in the late Cretaceous period around 90 million years ago.

When did the Segnosaurus become extinct?

These Mongolian theropods dating back to 90 million years ago do not have a specified period of existence. Thus, the extinction of the dinosaur is unknown. Although the dinosaur was not thought to have had major threats, natural disasters, habitat destruction, and predators are assumed to be the primary factors of its extinction.

Where did a Segnosaurus live?

The Theropod dinosaur, Segnosaurus, was discovered in the Bayan Shireh formation so it is thought that these dinosaurs lived around Mongolia in Central Asia.

What was a Segnosaurus' habitat?

The habitat of the Mongolian Theropod ranged from wet woodlands, coastal swamps, and marshes. Wetlands were the most favorable Segnosaurus environment.

Who did a Segnosaurus live with?

The Segnosaurus was often found living in a group and it resided in pairs during the breeding season. It lived along with other species of Therizinosaurs including the Erlikosaurus and the Enigmosaurus.

How long did a Segnosaurus live?

While the life span of dinosaurs, in general, ranges between 70-80 years, the projected natural lifespan of the Segnosaurus was up to 18 years.

How did they reproduce?

Paleontologists are unable to uncover the mating behavior of the species, but a dinosaur in general was an oviparous animal laying eggs to give birth to its young ones. Eggs found in a single stratigraphic layer showed that dinosaurs did not breed at the same site multiple times. Segnosaurus eggs were similar to footballs with a length up to 19 in (48 cm) and were considered to be the biggest dinosaur eggs compared to the usual tennis ball-shaped eggs of other dinosaurs. The female dinosaur was known to lay 17 egg clutches with eight eggs in an individual clutch. Hatchlings of the dinosaur were precocial, capable of moving from birth, because no adults were thought to be associated with the nest, and thus, hatchlings fed independently.

What did a Segnosaurus look like?

The Segnosaurus anatomy highlighted similar features of Theropods, Sauropods, and Ornithischians. While it was quite similar to the Erlikosaurus, it did not have wide cheeks like the Erlikosaurus. It was bipedal, moving on its two legs. The head was small with a horny beak at the tips of the jaws and had a long, slender neck. It had a broad pelvis unlike the slender pelvis of the Theropod. One of this dinosaur's features was three-toed feet with clawed fingers and toes. It had huge claws, while the claw on each hand was flatter and narrower than claws on toes of its feet.

The dinosaur had 48 mandibular teeth which were slightly recurved near the edges. Segnosaurus teeth differ from those of close relatives of the dinosaur. Also, the lower jaw of the dinosaur was low yet large compared to that of the Erlikosaurus. The dentary shelf began at the fourteenth dentary tooth and went backward for half of the extent of the lower jaw. The dentary of the tooth-bearing bone in Therizinosaurs had a complex shape and was placed at the upper outside of the lower jaw.

How many bones did a Segnosaurus have?

While the Segnosaurus had 48 teeth, the estimated number of bones is not known yet. The specimen of dinosaur uncovered is known to have a lower jaw, a pelvis, neck and tail vertebrae, limb bones, a lower arm bone, a foot, leg bones, and a shoulder girdle, but half of the parts of the specimen have been either damaged or gone missing. Thus, the number of bones remains undeciphered.

How did they communicate?

These dinosaurs often lived in a group using vocal and visual techniques to communicate with one other.

How big was a Segnosaurus?

The Segnosaurus size varied around 15-30 ft (4.6-9 m) in length while it was as tall as 10 ft (3 m).

How fast could a Segnosaurus move?

It had slow-moving relatives so the Segnosaurus speed is thought to have been considerably lower than that of the fastest dinosaurs. Also, the generic name means 'slow lizard'.

How much did a Segnosaurus weigh?

It was a large, wide-bodied dinosaur weighing around 1.3-5.8 tons (1,179.3-5,262 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

These dinosaurs do not have sex-specific names.

What would you call a baby Segnosaurus?

A baby dinosaur is also known as a chick or hatchling.

What did they eat?

It had weak teeth similar to plant-eaters, while it also had a large gut for digesting plants. Further, large claws on either foot were thought to be used to prey upon animals for meat. It was thought to have evolved from meat-eating ancestors, although there is a possibility of a herbivorous diet which is still questionable.

How aggressive were they?

Although the dinosaur had large claws on its feet which were believed to be used to attack other species or to protect itself from danger, it was not known to portray any aggressive behavior.

Did you know...

The dinosaur had a mix of features from its ancestors. While teeth were weak and the gut was large, it was assumed to have been a herbivore. Its evolution from meat-eaters also raised questions that it could have been a carnivore. The diet of the species remains questionable.

How was the Segnosaurus discovered?

It was discovered by Altangerel Perle in the Bayan Shireh formation in Mongolia in 1949.

Why did Segnosaurus have claws?

Claws on the feet of the dinosaur were to fight off its predators and possibly used for preying and tearing off meat of other species such as fish. The Therizinosaurus is known to have had the longest claws with a length ranging over 3 ft (1 m), more than half the length of claws of the Segnosaurus.

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 Tanius facts and Anchisaurus facts for kids.

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

Images - PaleoNeolitic