Dinosaur genus
Xenovenator
Xenovenator is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 83.6–72.2 million years old, in Mexico and the United States.
Confidence labels are switched off. Facts with low confidence, or where sources disagree, still carry a small dot: tap it for the reason.
At a glance
Data as of 12 October 2026- Named by
- Rivera-Sylva et al. 2026
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- H. E. Rivera-Sylva, M. C. Aguillón-Martinez, J. Flores-Ventura, I. E. Sánchez-Uribe, J. R. Guzman-Gutierrez, N. R. Longrich (2026). A thick-skulled troodontid theropod from the Late Cretaceous of Mexico. Diversity 18(1): 38:1–26. Read it
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Rivera-Sylva et al. 2026).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. The publication the Paleobiology Database gives as the authority for this genus name, usually the one that first named and described it.
- Type species
- Xenovenator espinosai
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Lived
- Campanian, 83.6–72.2 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Omnisaura calculation83.6–72.2 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 5 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Fossils found in
- MexicoUnited States
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- Cerro del PuebloKirtland
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (2 records).medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (3 records).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Family
- Troodontidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Parent group
- Troodontini
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Known from
- Bones
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- Order: no source we use gives it yet.
- Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
- What it was named after: no source we use gives it yet.
- Resting on one source: 6 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): name (PBDB); authority (PBDB); type species (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB).
Size, diet and behaviour aren't covered yet. Omnisaura leaves them out rather than guess.
Where sources disagree
None open. Where our sources overlap, they agree on everything shown here.
Did it meet…?
Yes. Both are found, identified to species, in the same rocks of the same age: Kirtland.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Lived alongside
Genera found in the same rock formations, from rocks of the same age.
Same family
Other genera in Troodontidae with a full profile.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- OmnisauraOmnisaura editorial · confidence levels and gaps
- PaleoMAP PaleoCoastlines (Kocsis and Scotese 2021)CC BY 4.0 · ancient coastlines on the small map
- Natural EarthPublic domain · today's coastlines