Dinosaurs A to Z
Chaoyangsauridae

Chaoyangsaurus

Generic ceratopsian body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Chaoyangsaurus 1 m (3.3 ft) long
as long as 2 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic ceratopsian body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Chaoyangsaurus
Length
1 m (3.3 ft)
Period
Late Jurassic (148 Mya)
Place
China
Food
Herbivore
Clade
Chaoyangsauridae

Chaoyangsaurus (“Chaoyang lizard”) is a genus of marginocephalian dinosaur from the Late Jurassic (about between 150.8 and 145.5 million years ago) of China. Chaoyangsaurus belonged to the Ceratopsia (Greek for “horned faces”). Chaoyangsaurus, like all ceratopsians, was primarily a herbivore.

What we know

  • Named by Zhao, Cheng, & Xu, 1999.
  • Body length estimated at about 1 m.
  • Fossils found in China.

What we guess

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