Fun Tanius Facts For Kids

The Tanius dinosaur species, belonging to the genus of the same name, was a herbivorous dinosaur that existed during the Late Cretaceous period, between 66-145 million years ago. It was originally thought to be the same species as the Tsintaosaurus dinosaur species, another type of hadrosaur in the Tanius genera, however, upon collection of further specimens, it was found that they are two completely different species. The range of this dinosaur is thought to be across China, as the initial fossil was discovered in the Shandong province by paleontologist Tan Xichou, after whom it is named. The name Tanius itself means 'of Tan'. Two very similar species of the same genus, Tanius chingkankouensis, and Tanius laiyangensis, are being considered synonymous with the Tanius sinensis variety. Though there were other species such as Tanius prynadai and Tanius chingkankouensis in the same genus, they have been moved to separate genera due to the discovery of various new differences.

To learn more about this roar-some reptile, read on! For more relatable content, check out these Siamotyrannus facts and Sanjuansaurus facts for kids.

How do you pronounce 'Tanius'?

Tanius is pronounced as 'tan-ee-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Tanius?

Tanius dinosaurs were a type of hadrosaurid, or duck-billed dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Tanius roam the Earth?

The Tanius dinosaur existed on the planet from between the Coniacian age to the Campanian age.

When did the Tanius become extinct?

The Tanius dinosaurs all died out around 66 million years ago. They are believed to have lived during the Late Cretaceous period, which lasted from around 145-66 million years ago.

Where did a Tanius live?

The Tanius dinosaurs' remains have been found in eastern China, in Shandong. Their range is assumed to be across China and probably a few neighboring Asian countries.

What was a Tanius' habitat?

The remains of this dinosaur were found in Shandong province, which is a coastal region in China. With this information, we can assume that this dinosaur enjoyed warm, breezy climates, though we cannot be sure as the climatic conditions of the Earth were vastly different millions of years ago.

Who did a Tanius live with?

Tanius, like most other dinosaurs, mostly lived in packs. There are high chances of herbivorous dinosaurs living and feeding together in groups, and this theory has been developed due to the discovery of a number of fossilized trackways containing a sequence of dinosaur footprints, all suggesting the presence of dinosaurs traveling in groups.

How long did a Tanius live?

Though the exact lifespan of a dinosaur cannot be determined, it has been estimated that they lived quite long lives, akin to those of similar reptiles like crocodiles and turtles. Due to their slow metabolisms and herbivorous diets, these beasts have been estimated to live between 80-300 years.

How did they reproduce?

Tanius dinosaurs were oviparous and reproduced by laying eggs. Their mating process was mostly similar to that of modern-day reptiles, with internal fertilization taking place inside the female's body.

What did a Tanius look like?

Similar to the Tsintaosaurus (Tanius laiyangensis) variety, the Tanius sinensis dinosaur was large and scaly with dark (most probably dark green, gray or black) skin, four flat feet with three-pointed toes each, and a long, thick tail ending in a point. Its back was covered with scaly spines, and its head was long and rather flat. Being a hadrosaur, its mouth resembled the shape of a duck bill, being wide and flat.

How many bones did a Tanius have?

Though the exact number of bones this dinosaur had has not been determined, the skull and cranial bones of this dinosaur have been unearthed. The number of bones possessed by the average dinosaur has been worked out to be around 200, hence the Tanius dinosaur most probably had around 200 bones.

How did they communicate?

Dinosaurs are known for their loud, earth-shaking roars which are mostly how this dinosaur communicated. They mostly used bellowing roars, grunts of low rumbling noises to communicate, in order to mate or chase away other dinosaurs from their territories. Visual displays were also probably used, with raising of the front legs, stomping and tail whipping involved.

How big was a Tanius?

The Tanius dinosaur has been estimated to have been around 23 ft (7 m) at full height!

How fast could a Tanius move?

Hadrosaurs (of which Tanius is a type) have been estimated to move at speeds of between 30.7-38.2 mph (49.4-61.5 kph) and moved by either hopping on all fours, or by running on their two hindlegs or using all their feet.

How much did a Tanius weigh?

Tanius dinosaurs were estimated to weigh in at around 4,409.2 lb (2 met tons).

What were the male and female names of the species?

A male dinosaur has been termed a saurus whereas the female dinosaur is known as saura. We do not make any distinction in sex while referring to dinosaurs though.

What would you call a baby Tanius?

Baby Tanius dinosaurs were known as hatchlings.

What did they eat?

Since Tanius dinosaurs were herbivorous in nature, they most likely sustained themselves on a diet of leaves, twigs, roots, and rudimentary fruits, vegetables, and seeds.

How aggressive were they?

Though herbivorous dinosaurs did not prey on smaller creatures, they still had to be quite aggressive in order to protect themselves from the larger predatory dinosaurs such as various therapods and velociraptors. They had a number of defensive mechanisms such as tough, scaly armor, bludgeon, and mace-like tails and sharp horns and spikes on their body, in order to attack any incoming predators head-on. The Tanius dinosaur has a long, thick tail and spikes on its back, which it must have used in order to engage in combat with other dinosaurs.

Did you know...

The Tsintaosaurus species (Tanius‭ ‬spinorhinus) is a dinosaur in the genus Tanius, which was originally thought to be the same as the Tanius sinensis when discovered. Though the remains of the skull matched, there was a crest-like growth discovered as well, which paleontologists chalked down a separate fossil being found in the same place. However, later discovery of the same species confirmed that the crest was in fact a part of the Tsintaosaurus skull piece, setting it apart as a different species.

Other dinosaurs of the Tanius species are Tanius chingkankouensis and Tanius laiyangensis, however, the authenticity of Tanius laiyangensis as a part of the genus is being evaluated. The Tanius prynadai species was moved to the genus Bactrosaurus.

What does Tanius mean?

Tanius means 'of Tan', which is in reference to the late Chinese paleontologist Tan Xichou (H.C. Tan), who discovered the first known specimen of this species.

When was the Tanius discovered?

Skeleton remains of the Tanius dinosaur were first discovered in Shandong, China in 1923, and pieces of the back of the skull were recovered from the complete specimen. The model of the Tanius sinensis, the main dinosaur of the genera, was built on findings of other species of the Tanius genus.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other dinosaurs from our Pedopenna interesting facts and Europelta fun facts for kids pages.

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

Main image by Nobu Tamura.