Caenagnathus
Caenagnathus was a big, bird-like dinosaur with a toothless beak. It lived in what is now Canada and the United States during the Late Cretaceous. Scientists think it ate both plants and meat, like a modern-day crow.41
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Fun facts
Caenagnathus was first thought to be a bird because its jaw looked so bird-like.4
It was one of the largest caenagnathids, rivaling the size of Anzu wyliei.1
Its beak had three ridges on the tip, which may have helped it grip food.2
Caenagnathus lived alongside other caenagnathids like Citipes and Chirostenotes in the Dinosaur Park Formation.1
The type specimen is a lower jaw (mandible) found in Alberta, Canada.2
It was a ground-dwelling dinosaur that walked on two legs.4
Most asked questions about Caenagnathus
?How big was Caenagnathus?
Caenagnathus was about 2.5 metres (8.2 feet) long and weighed around 85 to 100 kilograms (187 to 220 pounds). It was one of the largest caenagnathids, similar in size to its relative Anzu.3
?What did Caenagnathus eat?
Scientists think Caenagnathus ate both plants and meat, like a modern-day crow. Its toothless beak likely helped it grip a variety of foods.3
?Did Caenagnathus have feathers?
Yes, like all oviraptorosaurs, Caenagnathus would most likely have had a coat of feathers over its body.3
?Is Caenagnathus a dinosaur?
Yes, Caenagnathus is a dinosaur. It is a genus of caenagnathid oviraptorosaurian dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous.3
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Myth buster
Myth: Caenagnathus was a bird.
Truth: Caenagnathus was a feathered dinosaur, not a bird. It belongs to the oviraptorosaur group.4
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Caenagnathus
- Named by
- Sternberg 19404
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Caenagnathidae4
- Classification
- Theropoda > Oviraptorosauria4
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)4
- Rock formations
- Dinosaur Park, Hell Creek4
- Countries
- Canada, USA4
- Fossil records
- 8 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Caenagnathus was named by R. M. Sternberg in 1940 based on a jaw fossil from the Dinosaur Park Formation in Alberta, Canada.4
- Still debated
- Scientists are still debating whether some fossils belong to Caenagnathus or to other similar caenagnathids.1
Where the facts come from
- Caenagnathids of the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, Canada: anatomy, osteohistology, taxonomy, and evolution | Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology (journals.library.ualberta.ca)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Caenagnathus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Caenagnathus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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