Dinosaurs A to Z
Piatnitzkysauridae

Xuanhanosaurus qilixiaensis

"Xuanhan lizard"

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Xuanhanosaurus 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Xuanhanosaurus
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Middle Jurassic (166 Mya)
Place
China
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Piatnitzkysauridae

Xuanhanosaurus (meaning “Xuanhan lizard”) is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived during the Middle Jurassic (Bathonian) of the Sichuan Basin, China, around 166 million years ago. This taxon represents one of the various non-coelurosaurian tetanuran taxa found on the Middle Jurassic of the region, uncovered in the Lower Shaximiao Formation. Although it has been known for more than 40 years, this taxon has been the subject of very few studies, although most seem to agree that it is a tetanuran, possibly a basal allosauroid, highlighting the fact that it has a vestigial fourth metacarpal.

What we know

  • Named by Dong, 1984.
  • Fossils found in China.

What we guess

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