Alxasaurus elesitaiensis

†Alxasaurus elesitaiensis was a therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (~100 Ma) of Inner Mongolia, China. About 4m long, this bipedal herbivore had long curved claws on its hands used to gather vegetation. Named by Russell and Dong in 1994, it was one of the first early therizinosaurs described in detail, filling a critical gap in understanding how this bizarre herbivorous theropod group evolved.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Alxasaurus elesitaiensis was a plant-eating dinosaur. Herbivores typically fed on ferns, cycads, conifers, and other vegetation available during their era. Many herbivorous dinosaurs developed specialized teeth and digestive systems for processing tough plant material.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Alxasaurus elesitaiensis lived during the Cretaceous Early period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 145.0 to 100.5 million years ago.

The Cretaceous saw continued dinosaur evolution with the rise of ornithopods and early ceratopsians. Flowering plants first appeared and began to transform terrestrial ecosystems. Spinosaurus and other large theropods lived during this time.