Psittacosaurus
| Psittacosaurus Temporal range: Lower Cretaceous
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| P. meileyingensis cast, Children's Museum of Indianapolis | |
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| Genus: | Psittacosaurus Osborn, 1923
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Psittacosaurus Media
Holotype of P. mongoliensis (specimen AMNH 6254), American Museum of Natural History
Type skull of P. mongoliensis from Osborn, 1923
Restoration of P. sibiricus
P. meileyingensis fossil, Copenhagen Zoological Museum
Juveniles formerly described as Hongshanosaurus, Hong Kong Science Museum
Size comparison of P. mongoliensis to a human.
Skeletal restoration of Psittacosaurus sp. SMF R 4970
Model of Psittacosaurus Based on Skin and Pigmentation Patterns on SMF R 4970 Left lateral view (A), posterior view (B), right lateral view (C), and anterior view (D).
Restored heads of eight species, to scale
Reconstructed skeletons of an adult with juveniles
Lua error in Module:Unicode_data at line 468: attempt to index field 'scripts' (a boolean value). is a small ceratopsian dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of what is now Asia, about 130 to 100 million years ago. It was more basal than other members of the Ceratopsia: it was bipedal, and had no horns or frill on its head. What made it a ceratopsian was its beak.
It is notable for being the most species-rich dinosaur genus, but there is no general agreement on these species. Nine to eleven species are named for fossils found in different regions of China, Mongolia and Russia, with a possible additional species from Thailand.
All species of Psittacosaurus were gazelle-sized bipedal herbivores with a high, powerful beak on the upper jaw. At least one species had long, quill-like structures on its tail and lower back, possibly with a display function. Psittacosaurs were early ceratopsians. They developed adaptations of their own, but they also shared features with later ceratopsians, such as Protoceratops and the elephant-sized Triceratops.