Dinosaurs A to Z
Troodontidae

Xixiasaurus henanensis shiːsheeuh-SORRUHS

"lizard"

Generic raptor body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Xixiasaurus 1.5 m (4.9 ft) long
as long as 2 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic raptor body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Xixiasaurus
Length
1.5 m (4.9 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (86 Mya)
Place
China
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Troodontidae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Small, brainy, feathered theropods.

Xixiasaurus () is a genus of troodontid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous Period in what is now China. The only known specimen was discovered in Xixia County, Henan Province, in central China, and became the holotype of the new genus and species Xixiasaurus henanensis in 2010. The names refer to the areas of discovery, and can be translated as “Henan Xixia lizard”. The specimen consists of an almost complete skull (except for the hindmost portion), part of the lower jaw, and teeth, as well as a partial right forelimb.

Xixiasaurus is estimated to have been 1.5 m long and to have weighed 8 kg. As a troodontid, it would have been bird-like and lightly built, with grasping hands and an enlarged sickle-shaped claw on the second toe. Its skull was long, with a long, low snout that formed a tapering U-shape when seen from below.

What we know

  • Named by Lü et al., 2010.
  • Body length estimated at about 1.5 m.
  • Fossils found in China.

What we guess

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