Gretcheniao sinensis

† Gretcheniao sinensis — an Early Cretaceous enantiornithine bird from China. Small carnivorous arboreal avian; represents the diverse enantiornithine fauna from Chinese Jehol Biota deposits. Known from skeletal material from the Yixian or Jiufotang Formation of Liaoning Province.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Gretcheniao sinensis 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

Gretcheniao sinensis 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.