Limusaurus

theropod dinosaur · Late Jurassic · China · weird transformation

Tiny mud-lover. Limusaurus was only about as long as a human is tall (1.7 meters) and weighed just 15 kilograms, making it one of the smaller theropod dinosaurs that roamed ancient China.

Stuck in mud. Scientists named this dinosaur Limusaurus (mud-lizard) because the fossils were found in a way that suggested the creatures died while trapped in thick, sticky mud, unable to escape.

Teeth to beak switch. Baby Limusaurus had sharp teeth for eating meat, but as the dinosaur grew older, something amazing happened: it lost all its teeth and grew a hard beak instead, completely changing how it ate.

Long and skinny. This dinosaur had a long neck, long legs, and a long tail to balance, but its front arms were incredibly tiny and almost useless, making it look quite unusual.

Look-alike dinosaurs. Limusaurus had features similar to much later dinosaurs called ornithomimids and earlier creatures called shuvosaurids, even though it was not closely related to them.