Liaoningosaurus

Liaoningosaurus (meaning "Liaoning lizard") is an unusual genus of basal ankylosaurid dinosaur from the Liaoning Province, China that lived during the Early Cretaceous (late Barremian to early Aptian stages, ~125.4 to 118.9 Ma) in what is now the Yixian and Jiufotang Formation. The type and only species, Liaoningosaurus paradoxus, is known from more than 20 specimens, represented by juvenile individuals. It was named in 2001 by Xu, Wang and You. L. paradoxus was unusual among ornithischian dinosaurs in that it is speculated to have hunted or scavenged, with preserved gut contents showing that it may have eaten fish. Additionally, some features of its skeleton may suggest that it was partially aquatic. However, not all paleontologists agree with this interpretation. It is the oldest ankylosaurid to have had a tail club and had a wide paleogeographic and stratigraphic distribution in western Liaoning. Both Liaoningosaurus and Chuanqilong show various similarities with one another, with the latter being suggested to be a later growth stage.