The Giant Bird-Like Dinosaur
Gigantoraptor was an enormous theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, approximately 70 million years ago, in what is now China.
| Meaning | Giant thief [Gigant-o-raptor] |
| Pronunciation | jy-GAN-toe-rap-tor |
| When: | Late Cretaceous (about 85 million years ago) |
| Where: | Asia (China) |
| What: | Theropod (oviraptorosaur, omnivorous) |
| Weight: | Estimated around 1.4 metric tons |
| Length: | Approximately 8 meters (26 feet) |
| Diet: | Omnivorous (ate plants and small animals) |
| Discovered: | First described by Xu Xing and colleagues in 2007 |
It is known for its massive size, reaching lengths of up to 8 meters (26 feet) and standing over 3 meters (10 feet) tall at the hip.
Despite its size, Gigantoraptor was likely a herbivore, belonging to a group of theropods known as oviraptorosaurs.
Gigantoraptor had a long neck, a slender snout, and relatively long arms with sharp claws.
Its discovery was significant because it challenged previous assumptions about the size and lifestyle of oviraptorosaurs, which were generally smaller and thought to be carnivorous. Instead, Gigantoraptor demonstrated that some members of this group could evolve to reach gigantic proportions and adopt a herbivorous diet.