Chuanqilong chaoyangensis

† An Early Cretaceous ankylosaur from the Chaoyang region of Liaoning Province, China, Chuanqilong chaoyangensis was a nodosaurid-like armoured herbivore. Its discovery in northeastern China adds to the growing record of ankylosaurs from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Group, a fauna otherwise famous for feathered dinosaurs and early birds.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Chuanqilong chaoyangensis 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

Chuanqilong chaoyangensis 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.