Tanius is a type of dinosaur that lived a long time ago during the Late Cretaceous period, about 72 to 71 million years ago. It was discovered in China. The name “Tanius” means “of Tan,” honoring the Chinese paleontologist Tan Xichou.
The main species of Tanius is called Tanius sinensis, which was named in 1929 by a paleontologist named Carl Wiman. Tanius was around 7 meters long, which is about 23 feet, and weighed around 2 metric tons, like a small car.
The first remains of Tanius were found in April 1923 by H. C. T’an in Shandong, near a village called Ch’ing-kang-kou. Later, an Austrian paleontologist named Otto Zdansky helped excavate the bones. Although the original find was quite complete, only some parts could be saved. Today, the remains include a flat and elongated back of the skull.
Over time, some other species that were once thought to belong to Tanius were moved to different dinosaur groups. For example, Tanius prynadai became part of another dinosaur called Bactrosaurus. Tanius chingkankouensis and Tanius laiyangensis were also reassessed. A recent study has confirmed that Tanius sinensis and Tanius chingkankouensis are valid species of Tanius.
Tanius lived in a warm and humid environment, based on the geologic location where its remains were found, called the Jiangjunding Formation. This area had different types of rock, like sandstones and siltstones. Many other prehistoric animals also lived around the same time. Some of them were dinosaurs like Pinacosaurus, which was similar to Tanius.
In another nearby formation called Jingangkou, many hadrosaur fossils were discovered including Tanius, Tsintaosaurus, and others. Here, paleontologists found many bones buried quickly in mudflows, preserving the remains well.
Tanius is significant for understanding dinosaur evolution and the environment they lived in millions of years ago.