Tianyulong confuciusi

† Tianyulong confuciusi is a Middle Jurassic heterodontosaurid from the Yanliao Biota of Liaoning Province, China. Remarkable for long filamentous integumentary structures along its back, it extends evidence of proto-feathers to ornithischian dinosaurs.

Diet & Feeding

Herbivore

Tianyulong confuciusi 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

Jurassic Middle Mesozoic Era

Tianyulong confuciusi lived during the Jurassic Middle period of the Mesozoic Era, approximately 174.7 to 161.5 million years ago.

Dinosaur diversity continued to increase, with the evolution of large sauropods and diverse theropods. Stegosaurs first appeared, and the supercontinent Pangaea was breaking apart.