Ichthyovenator laoensis is the name of a genus of carnivorous theropod dinosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous period, approximately 125 million years ago. The name "Ichthyovenator" means "fish hunter" and is derived from the Greek "ichthys" meaning "fish" and "venator" meaning "hunter".
The Ichthyovenator fossil was discovered at the Jehol site in northeast China's Liaoning province. From the fossil remains found, a general picture of its appearance and characteristics has been reconstructed.
Ichthyovenator is estimated to have been around 8.5 meters in length and had a similar appearance to other theropods. It had a long, narrow skull, with sharp, backward-curving teeth, indicating its adaptation to a carnivorous diet. It is also believed that it had short arms compared to its body size and sharp claws.
One of the distinctive characteristics of Ichthyovenator is the presence of an elongated and narrow snout, which would have allowed it to feed on elusive prey, such as fish and other aquatic animals. This suggests that this dinosaur had a specialized adaptation for hunting in aquatic environments, which is unusual among theropods.
Approximate measurements of the Ichthyovenator:
- Scale 1:72 - 125 mm long (Complete)
- Scale 1:35 - 255 mm long (2 pieces)
- Full base on both scales
