Liaoningosaurus

Liaoningosaurus
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous, 125.4–118.9 Ma
An undescribed specimen of Liaoningosaurus (BMNH-PH000924) on display at Beijing Museum of Natural History.
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Ornithischia
Clade: Thyreophora
Clade: Ankylosauria
Clade: Euankylosauria
Family: Ankylosauridae
Genus: Liaoningosaurus
Xu et al., 2001
Species:
L. paradoxus
Binomial name
Liaoningosaurus paradoxus
Xu et al., 2001
Synonyms

Liaoningosaurus (meaning "Liaoning lizard") is an unusual genus of basal ankylosaurid dinosaur from the Liaoning Province, China that lived during the Early Cretaceous (late Barremian to early Aptian stages, ~125.4 to 118.9 Ma) in what is now the Yixian and Jiufotang Formation. The type and only species, Liaoningosaurus paradoxus, is known from more than 20 specimens, with some representing juveniles. It was named in 2001 by Xu, Wang and You.

L. paradoxus was unusual among ornithischian dinosaurs in that it is speculated to have hunted or scavenged, with preserved gut contents showing that it may have eaten fish. Additionally, some features of its skeleton may suggest that it was partially aquatic. However, not all paleontologists agree with this interpretation. It is the oldest ankylosaurid to have had a tail club and had a wide paleogeographic and stratigraphic distribution in western Liaoning. Both Liaoningosaurus and Chuanqilong show various similarities with one another, with the latter being suggested to be a later growth stage.