Khankhuuluu fossil map
Where fossils of Khankhuuluu have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 85 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 85 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Theropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 100.5–83.6 million years ago (Cenomanian to Santonian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Named by | Voris et al. 2025 |
| Fossil records | 2 occurrences at 2 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Mongolia |
| Rock formations | Baynshire |
About Khankhuuluu
Khankhuuluu ( khahn-KOO-loo; lit. 'dragon prince') is an extinct genus of early tyrannosauroid theropod dinosaurs from the Late Cretaceous of what is now the Gobi Desert in Mongolia. The genus contains a single species, Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, known from several skull bones and two partial skeletons, including shoulder, pelvic, and hindlimb bones, and several vertebrae from the back and tail. The remains were discovered in 1972 and 1973 and first described in 1977 as belonging to the Chinese Alectrosaurus. Later researchers recognized the uniqueness of the bones, and they were eventually named as belonging to a new species in 2025. Khankhuuluu is a medium-sized tyrannosauroid with a shallow skull and long, slender legs. Its skeleton demonstrates a unique combination of anatomical traits seen in both earlier-diverging (basal) tyrannosauroids and the later-diverging (derived) tyrannosaurids.
Khankhuuluu is known from the Bayanshiree Formation, which dates to around the Turonian–Santonian ages. The formation has yielded abundant fossils of diverse dinosaurs including various theropods, ankylosaurs, marginocephalians, hadrosauroids, and sauropods, in addition to pterosaurs, crocodylomorphs, turtles, and fish. These fossils were deposited in an environment with meandering rivers.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Khankhuuluu (revision 1331754295), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q134876964.
