Name:
Heyuannia ("from Heyuan"); pronounced hay-WAN-ee-ah
Habitat:
Woodlands of Central Asia
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (75 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 8 feet long and a few hundred pounds
Diet:
Probably omnivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small arms; small first fingers on hands
About Heyuannia:
One of the more recent Oviraptor-like dinosaurs to be discovered in Central Asia, Heyuannnia differs from its Mongolian relatives in having actually been unearthed in China proper. This small, bipedal, feathered theropod was distinguished by its unusual hands (with their small, blunt first digits), comparably small arms, and lack of a head crest. Like its fellow oviraptors (and also like modern birds), the females probably sat on clutches of eggs until they hatched.
