Xenovenator espinosai
"strange hunter"
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (74–72 Mya)
- Place
- North America · United States · Mexico · New Mexico, USA
- Food
- Carnivore
- Clade
- Troodontidae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Small, brainy, feathered theropods.
Xenovenator (“strange hunter”) is an extinct genus of troodontid theropod dinosaurs known from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian age) of North America. The type species of the genus, Xenovenator espinosai, is known from fragmentary skull bones found in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Mexico. It is characterized by an unusually expanded and rugose skull roof, somewhat comparable to that seen in pachycephalosaurs. This may imply Xenovenator individuals engaged in combat with other members of their species, a behavior for which adaptations had not been previously observed in non-avian paravians.
Saurornitholestes robustus, known from the Kirtland Formation of New Mexico, United States, may also belong to this genus, although it lacks the characteristic domed skull roof of X. espinosai.
What we know
- Named by Rivera-Sylva et al., 2026.
- Fossils found in North America and United States.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Xenovenator — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.