Psittacosaurus

Psittacosaurus mongoliensis

Psittacosaurus means parrot lizard, named for its parrot-like beak. It is one of the most species-rich dinosaur genera with over 10 valid species. Exceptional fossils show it had quill-like structures on its tail and countershading camouflage.

Physical Description

Measurement	Value	Human Scale
ความยาว	2.0 m	about the size of a human adult
Height	0.6 m	—
น้ำหนัก	20 kg	lighter than a human adult

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Psittacosaurus 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

Psittacosaurus 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.

Discovery & Naming

ตั้งชื่อโดย	Henry Fairfield Osborn
ปีที่ค้นพบ	1923
สถานที่ค้นพบ	Mongolia

การจำแนกประเภท

Dinosauria → Ornithischia → Ceratopsia → Psittacosaurus

Horned faces

Herbivorous dinosaurs with distinctive horns and frills. Ranges from small bipedal forms like Psittacosaurus to massive quadrupeds like Triceratops.

Size Comparison

At 2.0 meters long and 20.0 kg, Psittacosaurus was about the size of a human adult and lighter than a human adult.

Other dinosaurs from the same period:

Mandschurosaurus Byakudansauropus Agustinia ligabuei Mantellisaurus Calamosaurus foxi Mantellisaurus atherfieldensis

Quick Facts

การจำแนกประเภท	Ceratopsia
ยุคธรณีวิทยา	Cretaceous Early
อาหาร	Herbivore
ขนาด	2.0m long, 0.6m tall, 20.0kg