Gansus yumenensis

† Gansus yumenensis — an Early Cretaceous ornithuromorph bird from China's Xiagou Formation, Gansu Province. Small diving bird (~thrush-sized) with lobed feet for aquatic propulsion. Carnivorous-piscivorous. Known from hundreds of exceptional specimens preserving feathers, scales, and soft tissues.

Diet & Feeding

Carnivore

Gansus yumenensis 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

Gansus yumenensis 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.