Changchunsaurus parvus

† Changchunsaurus parvus is a small basal ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Quantou Formation of Jilin Province, China. Estimated at roughly 1.5 m in length, it was a biped herbivore feeding on low-growing ferns and cycads. Its teeth show adaptations for shredding fibrous plant material. Named for Changchun city, it represents one of the few ornithopods recovered from the northeast Chinese Early Cretaceous.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Changchunsaurus parvus 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

Changchunsaurus parvus 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.