Beipiaosaurus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Beipiaosaurus Temporal range: Lower Cretaceous
Restoration of Beipiaosaurus sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Theropoda
Superfamily:	Therizinosauroidea
Genus:	Beipiaosaurus Xu, Tang & Wang, 1999

Beipiaosaurus was a special kind of dinosaur that lived a very long time ago. It roamed the Earth about 125 million years ago, during a time called the Lower Cretaceous period. Its name means "Beipiao lizard," named after the area in China where its fossils were found.

This dinosaur was a theropod, a group that usually includes meat-eating dinosaurs like T. rex. But Beipiaosaurus was different! It was a therizinosaur, which means it was a plant-eater, or herbivore. This makes it a very interesting dinosaur to study.

Discovering Beipiaosaurus

The first Beipiaosaurus fossil was found in 1999. It was discovered in the Yixian Formation in Liaoning Province, China. This area is famous for its amazing fossils. Many well-preserved dinosaurs and other ancient creatures have been found there.

The discovery helped scientists learn more about theropod dinosaurs. It showed that not all theropods were fierce predators. Some, like Beipiaosaurus, evolved to eat plants.

What Beipiaosaurus Looked Like

Beipiaosaurus was a medium-sized dinosaur. It was about 2.2 meters (7.2 feet) long. That's roughly the size of a large human!

This dinosaur had some unique features:

• Beak and Teeth: It had a toothless beak at the front of its mouth. This beak was probably used for snipping off plants. But it also had small, leaf-shaped teeth further back in its cheeks. These teeth helped it chew tough plant material.
• Feathers: One of the most exciting things about Beipiaosaurus is that it had protofeathers. These were simple, hair-like feathers. They covered its body and probably helped keep it warm. This discovery was important because it showed that many dinosaurs had feathers.
• Claws: Like other theropods, it had strong claws on its hands. These might have been used for pulling down branches or for defense.

How Beipiaosaurus Lived

As a herbivore, Beipiaosaurus would have spent its days eating plants. It likely lived in forests or open woodlands. The environment in China during the Lower Cretaceous was warm and wet. It had many different types of plants.

Scientists believe that therizinosaurs like Beipiaosaurus used their long necks to reach leaves. Their beaks and cheek teeth helped them process their food. The protofeathers suggest they were warm-blooded, like birds.

Why Beipiaosaurus Is Important

Beipiaosaurus is a key dinosaur for understanding evolution. It shows how some meat-eating dinosaurs changed over time. They adapted to a plant-based diet. Its feathers also give us clues about how feathers first developed in dinosaurs. This helps us understand the link between dinosaurs and modern birds.

Images for kids

• 

  Skeletal composite of IVPP V11559 and STM 31-1

• 

  Size comparison between an average individual and a 1.8 m tall human

• 

  Feather impressions on the left arm from the holotype on display at the Paleozoological Museum of China

• 

  Life restoration

• 

  Schematic comparison of the ilium of Beipiaosaurus (in B) and other related therizinosaurs

• 

  Phosphatised soft tissues in non-avian maniraptoran dinosaurs and a basal bird. Beipiaosaurus in b and g

See also

In Spanish: Beipiaosaurus inexpectus para niños