|
|
|
Psittacosaurus
Psittacosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater)
that lived in
China, Mongolia and Siberia, during the early Cretaceous period,
about 120 to 100 million years ago.
The name Psittacosaurus was coined by
Henry Fairfield Osborn
and means "parrot lizard".
Psittacosaurus was about 8 feet (2.4 meters) long. It was bipedal (walked on
two legs) and equipped with a powerful beak on its upper jaw.
Psittacosaurus jaws were filled with self-sharpening teeth that would have
been used for cropping and slicing plant material, but were unsuitable for
chewing its food. The animal is known to have swallowed stones
("gastroliths") which would have helped wear down its food as
it passed through its digestive system (probably in a similar manner to
the gizzard in modern birds) - as many as 50 gastroliths have been found
in the abdominal cavities of some specimens.
Fossils
of at least 10 different species of Psittacosaurus have been
found so far in
China,
Mongolia and
Russia,
plus a possible additional species from
Thailand. In fact,
in total
fossils
of over 400 individual animals have been collected so far, including many
complete skeletons, and of every age from hatchling to adult, making it
one of the most studied and best-known dinosaur genera.
One
fossil
specimen found in China was found to have what
appear to have been hollow tubular bristles, each about 6 inches
(16 centimeters) in a single row down its back and tail. The purpose
of these structures are not certain, but one possibility is that they
were used for display and communication. It is also not clear whether
these (or similar) structures were found on all species of
Psittacosaurus, or just on this one particular species.
Psittacosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater) that lived from 120 to 100 million years ago
Related Information & Resources
See Also
Psittacosaurus Facts
Here is a summary of some of the key facts about Psittacosaurus:
- Psittacosaurus was a genus of dinosaur.
- "Psittacosaurus" means "parrot lizard".
- Psittacosaurus was a member of the Ornithischia ("bird-hipped") order of dinosaurs. What this means, is that although Psittacosaurus was not closely related to birds, it did have similarly shaped pelvic bones.
- Psittacosaurus was a Ceratopsian - a member of a group of related herbivorous (plant-eating) dinosaurs with beaks, many of which had neck frills and horns as well.
- Psittacosaurus lived between about 120 million years ago and 100 million years ago, during the Cretaceous period.
- Psittacosaurus lived in China, Mongolia and Siberia.
- Psittacosaurus was a herbivore (plant-eater).
- Psittacosaurus is thought to have swallowed stones which would have been used to help grind up tough plant material (some modern birds do the same thing). Fossils of these stones ("gastroliths") have been found in the same rocks as Psittacosaurus.
- Psittacosaurus was up to 8 feet (2.4 meters) long.
- Psittacosaurus weighed upto about 175 pounds (79 kilograms).
|
|
Psittacosaurus Books
Here are some books from Amazon.com:
Disclosure: Products details and descriptions provided by Amazon.com. Our company may receive a payment if you purchase products from them after following a link from this website.
By Catherine Veitch
Miles Kelly Publishing Ltd
Released: May 16th, 2019
Paperback
 | Lowest New Price: $11.60*
In stock. Usually ships within 3 to 4 days.*
*(As of 04:50 Pacific 17 Apr 2021 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
Dinosaur Adventures: Psittacosaurus - The lost egg- Manufacturer: Miles Kelly Publishing Ltd
- ISBN: 178617846X
- EAN: 9781786178466
- PartNumber: 9781786178466
Details:- Paperback
- Author: Catherine Veitch
- Publication Date: May 16th, 2019
- Release Date: May 16th, 2019
Physical Description:- Size: 10.35431 Inches by 10.27557 Inches by 0.11811 Inches
- Weight: 1.52559885304 Pounds
Click here for more information |
|
By Frances Swann
Rourke Pub Group
Released: September 1st, 1988
Library Binding
 | List Price: $21.93*
Lowest New Price: $9.75*
In Stock.*
*(As of 04:50 Pacific 17 Apr 2021 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
Psittacosaurus (Dinosaur Library)- Manufacturer: Rourke Pub Group
- ISBN: 0865925186
- EAN: 9780865925182
Details:- Product Category: Library Binding
- Author: Frances Swann
- Publication Date: September 1st, 1988
- Release Date: September 1st, 1988
Physical Description:- Size: 10.75 Inches by 8.0 Inches by 0.25 Inches
- Weight: 0.6 Pounds
Click here for more information |
|
By Cui Zhonglei
Jilin Fine Arts Publishing House
Released: May 1st, 2013
Paperback (19 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $4.99*
Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your account will only be charged when we ship the item.*
*(As of 04:50 Pacific 17 Apr 2021 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
Psittacosaurus (Growth Inspiration) (Chinese Edition)- Manufacturer: Jilin Fine Arts Publishing House
- ISBN: 7538672362
- EAN: 9787538672367
- PartNumber: 9787538672367
Details:- Paperback
- Number of Pages: 19
- Author: Cui Zhonglei
- Publication Date: May 1st, 2013
- Release Date: May 1st, 2013
Click here for more information |
|
By Tim Batty
Haynes Publishing UK
Released: November 26th, 2019
Paperback (192 pages)
 | Lowest New Price: $6.95*
In Stock.*
*(As of 04:50 Pacific 17 Apr 2021 More Info)
Click Here | Description:
Dinosaurs: Classification, Time, Size, Diet & More! (Haynes Pocket Manual)- Manufacturer: Haynes Publishing UK
- Brand: Haynes Publishing UK
- ISBN: 1785216775
- EAN: 9781785216770
Details:- Paperback
- Format: Illustrated
- Edition: Illustrated
- Number of Pages: 192
- Author: Tim Batty
- Publication Date: November 26th, 2019
- Release Date: November 26th, 2019
Physical Description:- Size: 6.375 Inches by 5.0 Inches by 0.75 Inches
- Weight: 0.6834330122 Pounds
Click here for more information |
|
Discuss This Page
Please feel free to post your comments:
Linking to This Page
We do hope that you find this site useful.
We welcome people linking to this website or citing us.
|
|
|
