Heyuannia

Hey-u-an-ne-ah.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Heyuannia ‭(‬Heyan one‭)‬.

Phonetic

Hey-u-an-ne-ah.

Named By

J.‭ ‬L�‭ ‬-‭ ‬2002.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Oviraptorosauria,‭ ‬Oviraptoridae,‭ ‬Oviraptorinae.

Diet

Uncertain.

Species

H.‭ ‬huangi‭

Size

At least‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

China,‭ ‬Guangdong Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Dalangshan Formation.

Time Period

Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial skull,‭ ‬mandible and most of the post cranial skeleton.

In Depth

       Found almost complete,‭ ‬Heyuannia was the first oviraptorid to be discovered within the borders of mainland China,‭ ‬specifically Guangdong Province.‭ ‬Up until the description of Heyuannia,‭ ‬other Asian oviraptorids were all discovered in Mongolia.‭ ‬Going by the holotype individual,‭ ‬Heyuannia seems to have been a small mid-sized genus of oviraptorid.‭ ‬The skull of Heyuannia is noted as being toothless,‭ ‬which again like other genera of oviraptorids,‭ ‬means that the exact of diet of Heyuannia is uncertain in the absence of confirmed stomach contents.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new oviraptorosaurid‭ (‬Theropoda:‭ ‬Oviraptorosauria‭) ‬from the Late Cretaceous of southern China.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology‭ ‬22‭(‬4‭)‬:871-875.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬L�‭ ‬-‭ ‬2002.

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