Fun Yutyrannus Facts For Kids

The Yutyrannus huali was a theropod Tyrannosauroid that lived during the Early Cretaceous period 145 million years ago. The generic name Yutayrannus means 'feathered tyrant' in Latin and huali means 'beautiful' in Mandarin; the complete name translates to 'beautiful feathered tyrant.'

It was named by Xu Xing in 2012. The discovery of fossils was in the Liaoning Province of China which was formed around 140 million years ago.

Paleontologists discovered that the dinosaur had display feathers.

The structures were an early form of feathers that could form a downy cover on the body of the dinosaur to keep it warm or hold importance during mating displays. It is currently the largest dinosaur to provide direct evidence of feathers on dinosaurs.

While tyrannosaurs can be found in warm and cold climates, this genus lived in cold areas. It was a carnivore and fed on small animals and other dinosaurs like sauropods.

If you like reading about Yutyrannus, also check out interesting facts about dinosaurs like Orodromeus and Puertasaurus.

Yutyrannus Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Yutyrannus'?

Yutyrannus pronunciation is 'yu-tee-ran-us'. It was named and described by Xu Xing in 2012.

What type of dinosaur was a Yutyrannus?

Yutyrannus huali is a feathered dinosaur belonging to the Proceratosauridae tyrannosauroidae families. It is a terrestrial bipedal dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Yutyrannus roam the Earth?

The Yutyrannus dinosaur lived on earth during the Early Cretaceous period 145 million years ago. The Early Cretaceous period is also known as the Lower Cretaceous period.

When did the Yutyrannus become extinct?

The cause of death or extinction of Yutyrannus dinosaurs is not known. During its time, the dinosaur was one of the most dangerous predators. It was one of the few species of dinosaurs that could prey on sauropods. The three specimens found could have died while hunting. Most dinosaurs became extinct after the Cretaceous-Paleogene mass extinction event.

Where did a Yutyrannus live?

Three Yutyrannus fossil specimens were found in the rock bed of Liaoning Province in northeastern China. They were initially discovered by a fossil dealer in a single quarry.

What was a Yutyrannus' habitat?

The habitat of therapod Yutyrannus is cold and the feathers provide insulation. It lived in areas where the average annual temperature is 50 F (10 C). The climate of its habitat was similar to the modern-day forests of British Columbia.

Who did a Yutyrannus live with?

Confirmation on whether it lived in packs is not available but it hunted in packs. Since the three specimens were discovered together, researchers believe that they were pack hunters. Details about the size and dynamics of the group are unknown.

How long did a Yutyrannus live?

The exact lifespan or age of the feathered Yutyrannus dinosaurs is unknown. The three fossils discovered in China belonged to the three life stages; juvenile, sub-adult, and adult.

How did they reproduce?

Yutyrannus had a fixed breeding season and were oviparous; they laid eggs after internal fertilization and the juveniles hatched from the Yutyrannus egg after an incubation period which differed depending on species. It is not known whether the species is polygynous.

Yutyrannus Fun Facts

What did a Yutyrannus look like?

The Yutyrannus was the largest early feathered dinosaur. It was bipedal and thus has longer and stronger hind limbs in comparison with the front limbs.

They had small feet and front limbs with three fingers. The nasal crest has a wavy pattern. The downy plumage of feathers covered its entire body.

Its display feathers were some of the largest seen on a dinosaur fossil and were 7.9 in (20 cm) and had filaments. This tyrannosaurid has feather structures that predated the ones found in modern birds. The postorbital bone near the eyes has a small horn-like structure.

Their feet were smaller compared to an advanced tyrannosaur, like Yutyrannus vs Rex. The feathered tyrant, Yutyrannus, the skull is deep and around 35.6 in (90.5 cm) long.

How many bones did a Yutyrannus have?

The exact number of bones in a feathered Yutyrannus is not known. The three specimens which were discovered were partial and no other specimens have been found since. Thus it has been hard for paleontologists to estimate the total number of bones.

How did they communicate?

The Tyrannosaurus rex relative, feathered Yutyrannus could communicate using their body, Yutyrannus feathers, and vocalization. Dinosaurs could create loud open-mouthed sounds and closed-mouthed sounds.

The close-mouthed sounds of a lower frequency could probably travel long distances, which helped them communicate with the rest of the herd or warn rivals of their territory.

The Yutyrannus lungs were probably very strong and had a lot of lung power, thus Yutyrannus roar can also hold importance during mating displays to prove a genetic advantage. They also have a nasal crest on their snout for display purposes.

How big was a Yutyrannus?

Yutyrannus was a big theropod tyrannosauroid dinosaur. In comparison between Yutyrannus vs T-rex, the Tyrannosaurus rex is around 10 ft (3 m) larger than the Yutyrannus huali. The Yutyrannus was 29.5 ft (9 m) long and 13.12-16.4 ft (4-5 m) tall.

How fast could a Yutyrannus move?

Despite its size, the Yutyrannus could run at speeds of 30-40 mph (48-64 kph). As it grew older the leg length grew shorter and the range of motion reduced. They became better suited at tackling their prey rather than pursuing them.

How much did a Yutyrannus weigh?

The Yutyrannus size was a large and heavy feathered dinosaur. It is estimated to have weighed 1.4 tons (1,414 kg). The Tyrannosaurus rex weighed four to five times heavier than the Yutyrannus dinosaur.

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and female dinosaurs of this animal species don't have any particular names. It is yet undetermined whether the species exhibits sexual dimorphism or not. Sexual dimorphism helps distinguish among the sexes visually.

What would you call a baby Yutyrannus?

There are no specific Yutyrannus names for a baby. The young dinosaurs can probably be referred to as babies or juveniles. Other live stages are sub-adult and adult.

What did they eat?

The feathered tyrant dinosaur, Yutyrannus huali, was a carnivore. Its diet consisted of small animals, other dinosaurs, and occasionally fish.

How aggressive were they?

Yutyrannus theropods were very aggressive, especially over territory. Some researchers believe that they often fought and attacked conspecifics over prey and territory. They used their body to attack and could also bite their rivals.

Did you know...

Yutyrannus is the largest known dinosaur which provided direct evidence of dinosaurs. The previous dinosaur which held the record was called Beipiaosaurus. Yutyrannus was 40 times heavier than the Beipiaosaurus. Its large size and predatory habits could scare many smaller dinosaurs.

The feather plumage was used to insulate the bodies of the beautiful feathered tyrant dinosaurs in cold climates. Due to their large size and high rate of metabolism, some considered this dinosaur to be warm-blooded, unlike reptiles. Thus, the feathers function as insulators.

The possibly colorful plumage of feathers was probably the reason they were named 'beautiful' and it also held importance in showcasing their superior genes to attract females.

Primitive tyrannosaurs like the Dilong were simply covered in fuzz instead of feathers. Like the discovery of all feathered dinosaurs before Yutyrannus, these animals were probably small. Dilong was only the size of a large dog and only weighed around 25 lb (11.33 kg).

The holotype Yutyrannus skeleton fossil is the largest specimen found yet. It consists of a nearly complete skeleton including the skull, which was found compressed on a stone slab. The holotype was estimated to be eight years older than the two proto

The name of this tyrannosaur is a mix of two languages. The generic name is derived from Latin and the specific name from Mandarin.

Holtz, from the University of Maryland, and other paleontologists believed that the geographic range of tyrannosaurus is not limited to warm climates. Like the Yutyrannus, the advanced tyrannosaur could also have feathers. In warmer climates instead of the entire body being covered by downy feathers to keep warm, they would be present in patches.

Is the Yutyrannus related to the T Rex?

Yes, the Yutyrannus is related to Tyrannosaurus rex; they belong to the same family, Tyrannosauroidea. They are distant cousins, Yutyrannus is considered to be the early dinosaur version previous to the Tyrannosaurus rex.

Did Yutyrannus hunt in packs?

Since the three fossil specimens were found together, paleontologists probably assumed that they hunt in packs. But many believed this to be false and that they were actually solitary animals that considered conspecifics their rivals and would fight over prey

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 Caviramus facts, or Yinlong facts for kids.

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

Second image by Tomopteryx.