Dingavis longimaxilla

†Dingavis longimaxilla is an extinct enantiornithine bird from the Early Cretaceous of Liaoning, China, notable for its unusually elongated upper jaw. This small toothed avian inhabited the lacustrine margins of the Yixian paleolake. Its elongated maxilla likely facilitated specialized foraging on aquatic invertebrates or small fish in the Jehol Biota.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Dingavis longimaxilla was a meat-eating predator. Carnivorous dinosaurs were active hunters or scavengers, equipped with sharp teeth and claws for catching and consuming prey. They occupied the top of the food chain in their ecosystems.

Time Period

Cretaceous Early Mesozoic Era

Dingavis longimaxilla 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.