Genus
Valid Extinct

Kayrasaurus

Liao et al. 2026

Kayrasaurus is an extinct genus of therizinosaurian theropod dinosaur known from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China. The genus contains a single species, Kayrasaurus changliensis, named in 2026 based on a nearly complete skeleton including the skull. This specimen is largely articulated, but very flattened into nearly two dimensions. The legs and most of the pelvis are unknown. With a length of 3.6 metres (12 ft) and an estimated weight of 117–274 kilograms (258–604 lb), Kayrasaurus is the largest therizinosaur known from the Jehol Biota. Like other therizinosaurs, the front of its jaws were toothless. It is unique in the small, closely packed teeth in the rest of the upper and lower jaws, bearing more teeth in the mandible than any other therizinosaur. The vertebrae in the neck are notably elongated, and the claws on the hand are large and strongly curved. Kayrasaurus is closely related to the contemporary Beipiaosaurus and Jianchangosaurus, both of which are also known from the Yixian Formation.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
1
Group
Dinosaures
Carnivore Ground dwelling, solitary Terrestrial
Kayrasaurus
click to enlarge
Kayrasaurus is a therizinosaurian dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now China. At an estimated 3.6 m in total body length, it is the largest therizinosaur known from the Jehol Biota. Like other therizinosaurs, Kayrasaurus was a bipedal herbivore with large curved claws on each hand. © TotalDino · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Theropoda Unranked clade
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Neotheropoda Unranked clade
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Averostra Unranked clade
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Tetanurae Unranked clade
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Coelurosauria Unranked clade
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Maniraptoriformes Unranked clade
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Therizinosauria Unranked clade
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Kayrasaurus Genus
Fossil sites 1 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇨🇳 China
1
Geological formations
Yixian
1
Temporal distribution
Barremian (125.77–121.4 Ma)
1
Species (1)
Kayrasaurus changliensis 126 Ma
Bibliography
Original description
C. Liao, W. J. Freimuth, and L. E. Zanno, X. Xu. 2026. A new therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota and ecomorphological patterns among early therizinosaurians. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 24(2):2710287:1-38 DOI ↗
Bibliography (1)
C. Liao, W. J. Freimuth, and L. E. Zanno, X. Xu. 2026. A new therizinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Jehol Biota and ecomorphological patterns among early therizinosaurians. Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 24(2):2710287:1-38 DOI ↗