Fun Machairasaurus Facts For Kids

Philip J.Currie discovered Machairasaurus skeletons in an expedition between 1988 - 1990. The skeletons were discovered in the Bayan Mandahu Formation of inner Mongolia (China). The fossils that were discovered in Bayan Mandahu in inner Mongolia are the only two specimens of this genus.

Currie, Nicholas R. Longrich, and Dong Zimming named the genus Machairasaurus and the type species was named Machairasaurus leptonychus. Machairasaurus is derived from a Greek word meaning 'slender claw.' The long blade-like claw was the autapomorphy of Machairasaurus. The dinosaur is said to have existed in the late Campanian age.

In 2010, Oviraptoridae became the official classification of Machairasaurus. Oviraptoridae were bird-like dinosaurs that existed in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. Most oviraptorids lived in arid regions like deserts.

How do you pronounce 'Machairasaurus'?

Machairasaurus is pronounced as 'Mah-care-oh-sore-us'.

What type of dinosaur was a Machairasaurus?

Machairasaurus was an oviraptorid theropod dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Machairasaurus roam the Earth?

The Cretaceous period was when Machairasaurus roamed the Earth.

When did the Machairasaurus become extinct?

Machairasaurus became extinct approximately 72 million years ago.

Where did Machairasaurus live?

Their remains have been found in the Bayan Mandahu Formation of inner Mongolia (China).

What was the Machairasaurus' habitat?

Machairasaurus leptonychus fossils were found in the Bayan mandahu formation in Inner Mongolia. The region is semi-arid. Machairasaurus leptonychus used their sharp long claws to drag down tree branches or to dig into the soil for insects.

Who did the Machairasaurus live with?

It is not known whether these dinosaurs lived in herds or alone.

How long did a Machairasaurus live?

It is not known how long a Machairasaurus's life was.

How did they reproduce?

They were oviparous and reproduced by eggs.

What did the Machairasaurus look like?

Machairasaurus leptonychus were small in size and used two feet to walk on. The long blade-like claws were their unique features. They had short mouths deep lower jaws and were toothless.

How many bones did a Machairasaurus have?

Most dinosaurs had approximately 200 bones, it is unknown from the fossils whether Machairasaurus had more or less than that.

How did they communicate?

No evidence about the communication methods of Machairasaurus leptonychus has been found.

How big was the Machairasaurus?

These dinosaurs were 4.3 ft (1.3 m) in length. They are way shorter than a T-Rex.

How fast could a Machairasaurus move?

Machairasaurus leptonychus were bipedal and could run up to 21.7-24.8 mph (35-40 kph).

How much did a Machairasaurus weigh?

This dinosaur weighed 22 lb (10 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

There were no specific names given to the male and female species of the Machairasaurus.

What would you call a baby Machairasaurus?

There is no evidence that a separate name was given to a baby Machairasaurus.

How aggressive were they?

It is not known if Machairasaurus leptonychus were aggressive.

Did You Know…

The character of Palentiologist Alan Grant in Jurassic Park took inspiration from Philip J. Currie, the discoverer of these quite rare species Machairasaurus.

Oviraptroids come third in terms of dinosaur population. Ankylosaurs and Protoceratopsids are the most abundant dinosaurs that existed.

Machairasaurus is a part of Ingeniinae clade and is closely linked with Heyuannia, Ingenia, Conchoraptor, and Nemegtomai.

*We've been unable to source an image of Machairasaurus and have used an image of Lesothosaurus instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of Machairasaurus, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at [email protected]