Psittacosaurus

Description

The species of Psittacosaurus vary in size and specific features of the skull and skeleton, but share the same overall body shape. The best-known—P. mongoliensis—can reach 2 metres (6.5 ft) in length. The maximum adult body weight was most likely over 20 kilogrammes (44 lb) in P. mongoliensis. Several species approach P. mongoliensis in size (P. lujiatunensis, P. neimongoliensis, P. xinjiangensis), while others are somewhat smaller (P. sinensis, P. meileyingensis). The smallest known species, P. ordosensis, is 30% smaller than P. mongoliensis. The largest are P. lujiatunensis and P. sibiricus, although neither is significantly larger than P. mongoliensis. Psittacosaurus postcranial skeletons are more typical of a ‘generic’ bipedal ornithischian.There are only four digits on the manus (‘hand’), as opposed to the five found in most other ornithischians (including all other ceratopsians), while the four-toed hindfoot is very similar to many other small ornithischians

More Information

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Fact file

• .Kingdom:Animalia
• Phylum: Chordata
• Clade: Dinosauria
• Order: †Ornithischia
• Family: †Psittacosauridae
• Osborn, 1923
• Genus: †Psittacosaurus
• Osborn, 1923