Dinosaurs A to Z
Caenagnathidae

Beibeilong sinensis

"baby dragon"

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Beibeilong 7.5 m (24.6 ft) long
as long as 5 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Beibeilong
Length
7.5 m (24.6 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (96–88 Mya)
Place
China
Food
Omnivore
Clade
Caenagnathidae

Beibeilong (Chinese: 贝贝龙, ) is a genus of large caenagnathid dinosaurs that lived in China during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 96 million to 88 million years ago. The genus contains a single species, Beibeilong sinensis. The species was named and described in 2017 through analysis of an embryonic skeleton (nicknamed Baby Louie) and partial nest with large eggs that were discovered in the Gaogou Formation of China (Henan Province) between 1992 and 1993.

Beibeilong was a notably large caenagnathid and among the largest oviraptorosaurs, estimated at 7.5 m long (extrapolated from the large embryo and eggs) with a ponderous weight of about 1.5 – 2 MT, based on comparisons with the closely related Gigantoraptor. Its jaws—in a similar fashion to most other oviraptorosaurs—were toothless and developed a horny beak (also known as rhamphotheca).

What we know

  • Named by Pu et al., 2017.
  • Body length estimated at about 7.5 m.
  • Fossils found in China.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Beibeilong — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.