Dinosaurs A to Z
Troodontidae

Philovenator

"love hunter"

Generic raptor body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Philovenator 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic raptor body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Philovenator
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (75 Mya)
Place
China · Mongolia
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Troodontidae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Small, brainy, feathered theropods.

Philovenator (literally meaning “love hunter”) is an extinct genus of troodontid paravian dinosaurs from the Wulansuhai Formation (dated to the Campanian age, sometime between 75 and 71 million years ago) of Inner Mongolia, China. Its specific name honors Phillip J. Currie.

What we know

  • Named by Xu et al., 2012.
  • Fossils found in China and Mongolia.

What we guess

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