Xingtianosaurus is an extinct genus of dinosaur that belongs to a group called theropods. These dinosaurs lived during the Early Cretaceous period, around 125 million years ago, in what is now China.
The only species known in this genus is called Xingtianosaurus ganqi. It was discovered and named in 2019.
This dinosaur is part of a family known as Caudipteridae, which also includes other species like Caudipteryx and Similicaudipteryx.
The name Xingtianosaurus is a nod to a Chinese deity named Xingtian, who is known for continuing to fight even after losing his head. This is fitting because the fossil found did not include a skull. The species name ganqi comes from a battle axe that the deity carried.
The fossil that was discovered is nearly complete but is missing its skull, some backbone bones, and parts of its shoulder area.
This discovery helps scientists learn more about the variety of dinosaurs that lived during this time in history.