Liaoningosaurus

Liaoning lizard

• Liaoning · Chinese (place name) · the Chinese province of Liaoning, where it was found
• o · Latin · connecting vowel
• saurus · Greek · lizard

The name combines Liaoning, the province in northeastern China where the fossil was found, with the Greek word for lizard. It means "Liaoning lizard" and points to the Yixian Formation fossil beds of that province. The only named species is L. paradoxus, "paradoxical", a reference to its unusual features for an ankylosaur.

Named by

Xu, Wang and You

Year named

2001

Period

Early Cretaceous

Stage

Aptian

Found in

Yixian Formation, Liaoning Province, China

An armored ankylosaur dinosaur, and one of the smallest known. The type specimen is a juvenile. It has bony armor on its belly, which is unusual for an ankylosaur. Its exact position within Ankylosauria has been debated. The age is given as Aptian, but the Yixian Formation dating has varied between studies.