Yixianosaurus

Name: Yixianosaurus (Yixian lizard)
Phonetic: Yi-chow-oh-sore-us
Named By: Xu Xing and Wang Xiaolin - 2003
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Theropoda, Tetanurae, Coelurosauria, Maniraptora.
Species: Y. longimanus (type).
Diet: Uncertain. Possibly an Insectivore.
Size: Estimated at possibly up to one meter long.
Known locations: China, Liaoning.
Time period: Barremian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: The forelimbs, shoulder, some ribs, gastralia and feathers are all that are so far known.

       With greatly elongated fingers the hands are a tantalising find for palaeontologists, but without the rest of the skeleton it is impossible to give an accurate insight into this creature’s life. One possible explanation is that Yixianosaurus lived like a modern day aye-aye. Aye-aye’s also have hands that have impressively long fingers which they use for climbing trees and digging out grubs from inside the trees.

Further reading
- A new maniraptoran dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of western Liaoning. - Vertebrata PalAsiatica 41(3):195-202/ - X. Xu & X.-L. Wang - 2003.
- A re-analysis of the 'coeluriasaurian pit-bull' Yixianosaurus longimanus with implications for the theropod dinosaur diversity of the Jehol Biota. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology, 28(3): 81A. - T. A. Dececchi, D. Hone, H. Larsson, C. Sullivan & X. Xu - 2010.
- The systematic position of the enigmatic theropod dinosaur Yixianosaurus longimanus. - Vertebrata PalAsiatica 51(3): 169-183. - Xu Xing, Corwin Sullivan & Wang Shuo - 2013.

Random favourites