Yutyrannus
Yutyrannus huali
Yutyrannus shows that feathers were not limited to small dinosaurs and may also have occurred in large predators.
Image: Laika ac from USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
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Characteristics
- Scientific name
- Yutyrannus huali
- Period
- Early Cretaceous (Barremian)
- Lived
- 125–120 Ma (125 million years ago)
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Habitat
- Forest, Plains
- Length (estimate)
- 9 m
- Mass (estimate)
- 1,400 kg
Description
Yutyrannus was a large tyrannosauroid whose fossils preserve fine, filamentous feathers. The feathers probably provided insulation, which may have been important in the relatively cool climate of its habitat. It was much larger than other known feathered dinosaurs, although the exact body covering of adults remains uncertain. A broad skull and sharp teeth indicate a predatory diet.
Habitat
Cool forests and lake landscapes of north-eastern China.
Fossil sites
Yixian Formation, Liaoning
Yixian Formation
Cultural profile: China →
Contemporaries in the database
Sources: Yutyrannus