Alxasaurus

Skeletal reconstruction of Alxasaurus

• China

Alxasaurus is a genus of Therizinosauroidea the Lower Cretaceous of China. Alxasaurus is one of the oldest known genus of Therizinosauroidea. The conformation is similar but anyway, including the long neck, long claws and short tail, which the later Therizinosaurier. Like the other genera of the Therizinosaurier Alxasaurus was a herbivore. Its length is estimated at about 4 meters.

Alxasaurus was described by paleontologist Dale Russell and Dong Zhiming in 1993. It was named after the Alashan Desert of Inner Mongolia, where he was also found. The only known way Alxasaurus elesitaiensis is named after the village Elesitai, was found in the vicinity Alxasaurus. Five Alxasaurus skeletons were found in the Gobi Bayin formation. The formation contains fossils dating from the Albian ( about 112 million to 100 million years). From the holotype lower jaw, lots of leg bones, ribs and vertebrae, including all five sacral vertebrae and the first 19 caudal vertebrae was.

Alxasaurus is counted for Therizinosauroidea. Often it is classified alongside Falcarius, Beipiaosaurus and Enigmosaurus as basal Therizinosauroidea, but also the only member of the Alxasauridae. Below is a cladogram to Lindsay E. Zanno (2010).

Falcarius

Beipiaosaurus

Alxasaurus

Erliansaurus

Neimongosaurus

Enigmosaurus

Suzhousaurus

Therizinosauridae