Family

Valid Extinct

Therizinosauridae

Maleev 1954

Therizinosauridae is an extinct family of derived (advanced) therizinosauroid dinosaurs whose fossil remains have been found in mostly Late Cretaceous boundary. Even though representative fossils have only been found throughout Asia and North America, the range of Therizinosauridae is believed to have spanned much of the supercontinent of Laurasia based on several footprints and isolated remains in Europe and Africa. As of 2025, the family Therizinosauridae comprises nine definitive genera.

Temporal range

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

Paleogene

Neogene

252 201 145 66 0 Ma

PBDB occurrences

Group

Dinosaures

Herbivore Ground dwelling Terrestrial

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From left to right: Nothronychus graffami and Nothronychus mckinleyi. These files are already on Commons with their respective licenses. This montage was made for the article Therizinosauridae on Wikipedia. File:Therizinosaurus 1 salt lake city.jpg File:Nothronychus (1).jpg © User:Jens Lallensack Kabacchi · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia

PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗

Classification

Dinosauria Unranked clade

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Theropoda Unranked clade

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Neotheropoda Unranked clade

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Averostra Unranked clade

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Tetanurae Unranked clade

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Coelurosauria Unranked clade

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Maniraptoriformes Unranked clade

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Therizinosauria Unranked clade

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Therizinosauroidea Superfamily

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Therizinosauridae Family

Fossil sites 31 geolocated sites

Distribution

Top countries

🇲🇳 Mongolia

🇨🇳 China

🇯🇵 Japan

🇺🇸 United States

🇰🇿 Kazakhstan

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇷🇺 Russia

🇹🇯 Tajikistan

Geological formations

Baynshire

Jobu

Nemegt

Zhonggou

Bostobe

Iren Dabasu

Lufeng

Sundays River

Murtoi

Xiagou

Temporal distribution

Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)

Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)

Santonian (85.7–83.6 Ma)

Coniacian (89.8–85.7 Ma)

Turonian (93.9–89.8 Ma)

Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)

Albian (113.2–100.5 Ma)

Aptian (121.4–113.2 Ma)

Valanginian (137.05–132.6 Ma)

Hettangian (201.4–199.5 Ma)

Synonyms (4)

Enigmosauridae subjective synonym of Therizinosauridae

Erlikosauridae subjective synonym of Therizinosauridae

Nanshiungosauridae subjective synonym of Therizinosauridae

Segnosauridae subjective synonym of Therizinosauridae

Images 1

Bibliography

Original description

E. A. Maleev. 1954. Noviy cherepachoobrazhniy yashcher v Mongolii [New tortoise-like saurian from Mongolia]. Priroda 1954(3):106-108

Bibliography (27)

Y. Kobayashi, D. K. Zelenitsky, and A. R. Fiorillo, T. Chinzorig. 2025. Didactyl therizinosaur with a preserved keratinous claw from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. iScience DOI ↗

A. Burigo and O. Mateus. 2024. Allosaurus europaeus (Theropoda: Allosauroidea) revisited and taxonomy of the genus. Diversity 17(1):29:1-60 DOI ↗

Y. Lee, L. L. Jacobs, and P. J. Currie, R. Barsbold. 2023. Narrative of the Korea-Mongolian International Dinosaur expeditions (KID) 2006–2010 with scientific results. Windows into Sauropsid and Synapsid Evolution: Essays in Honor of Louis L. Jacobs

Y. Kobayashi, R. Takasaki, and A. R. Fiorillo, T. Chinzorig, Y. Hikida. 2022. New therizinosaurid dinosaur from the marine Osoushinai Formation (Upper Cretaceous, Japan) provides insight for function and evolution of therizinosaur claws. Scientific Reports 12:7207:1-12 DOI ↗

M.-p. Qian, Z.-y. Zhang, and Y. Jiang, Y.-g. Jiang, Y.-j. Zhang, R. Chen, G.-f. Xing. 2012. [Cretaceous therizinosaurs in Zhejiang of eastern China]. Journal of Geology 36(4):337-348 DOI ↗

L. E. Zanno. 2010. A taxonomic and phylogenetic re-evaluation of Therizinosauria (Dinosauria: Maniraptora). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 8(4):503-543 DOI ↗

L. E. Zanno, D. D. Gillette, and L. B. Albright, A. L. Titus. 2009. A new North American therizinosaurid and the role of herbivory in 'predatory' dinosaur evolution. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences DOI ↗

D.-q. Li, H.-l. You, and Z.-p. Zhang. 2008. A new specimen of Suzhousaurus megatherioides (Dinosauria: Therizinosauroidea) from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern China. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences 45:769-779 DOI ↗

A. O. Averianov. 2007. Theropod dinosaurs from Late Cretaceous deposits in the northeastern Aral Sea region, Kazakhstan. Cretaceous Research 28:532-544 DOI ↗

D. Li, C. Peng, and H. You, M. C. Lamanna, J. D. Harris, K. J. Lacovara, J. Zhang. 2007. A large therizinosauroid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Early Cretaceous of northwestern China. Acta Geologica Sinica 81(4):539-549

V. R. Alifanov and A. O. Averianov. 2006. On the finding of ornithomimid dinosaurs (Saurischia, Ornithomimosauria) in the Upper Cretaceous beds of Tajikistan. Paleontological Journal 40(1):103-108 DOI ↗

N. Ikegami and Y. Tomida. 2005. A therizinosaurid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Mifune Group in Kyushu, Japan. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 25(3 (supp.)):73A

A. O. Averianov, A. Starkov, and P. Skutschas. 2003. Dinosaurs from the Early Cretaceous Murtoi Formation in Buryatia, eastern Russia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 23(3):586-594 DOI ↗

X. Xu, Z.-H. Zhang, and P. C. Sereno, X.-J. Zhao, X.-W. Kuang, J. Han, L. Tan. 2002. A new therizinosauroid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation of Nei Mongol. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 40(3):228-240

J. I. Kirkland and D. G. Wolfe. 2001. First definitive therizinosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from North America. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21(3):410-414 DOI ↗

X. Xu, X. Zhao, and J. M. Clark. 2001. A new therizinosaur from the Lower Jurassic Lower Lufeng Formation of Yunnan, China. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21(3):477-483 DOI ↗

X.-H. Zhang, X. Xu, and X.-J. Zhao, P. C. Sereno, X.-W. Kuang, L. Tan. 2001. A long-necked therizinosauroid dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation of Nei Mongol, People's Republic of China. Vertebrata PalAsiatica 39(4):282-290

P. J. Currie. 2000. Theropods from the Cretaceous of Mongolia. The Age of Dinosaurs in Russia and Mongolia

W. Watabe and S. Suzuki. 2000. Report on the Japan–Mongolia Joint Paleontological Expedition to the Gobi desert, 1994. Hayashibara Museum of Natural Sciences Research Bulletin 1:30-44

Z. Dong and H. Yu. 1997. A new segnosaur from Mazongshan area, Gansu Province, China. Sino-Japanese Silk Road Dinosaur Expedition. China Ocean Press, Beijing

L. A. Nessov. 1995. Dinozavri severnoi Yevrazii: Novye dannye o sostave kompleksov, ekologii i paleobiogeografii [Dinosaurs of northern Eurasia: new data about assemblages, ecology, and paleobiogeography]. Institute for Scientific Research on the Earth's Crust, St. Petersburg State University, St. Petersburg

R. Barsbold. 1983. Khishchnye dinosavry mela Mongoliy [Carnivorous dinosaurs from the Cretaceous of Mongolia]. Transactions of the Joint Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition 19:1-117

Z. Dong. 1979. Cretaceous dinosaurs of Hunan, China. Mesozoic and Cenozoic Red Beds of South China: Selected Papers from the "Cretaceous-Tertiary Workshop", Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology & Nanjing Institute of Paleontology (eds.), Science Press, Nanxiong, China

A. Perle. 1979. Segnosauridae - novoe semeistvo teropod is posdnego mela Mongolii [Segnosauridae - a new family of theropods from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia]. Trudy - Sovmestnaya Sovetsko-Mongol'skaya Paleontologicheskaya Ekspeditsiya 8:45-55

R. Gradzinski, Z. Kielan-Jaworowska, and T. Maryanska. 1977. Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta, Barun Goyot and Nemegt formations of Mongolia, including remarks on previous subdivisions. Acta Geologica Polonica 27(3):281-318

A. K. Rozhdestvensky. 1964. Novye dannye o mestonakhozhdeniyakh dinozavrov na territorii Kazakhstana i Srednei Azii [New data on occurrences of dinosaurs in Kazakhstan and Central Asia]. Tashkentskii Gosudarstvennyi Universitet, Nauchnye Trudy: Geologiya [Tashkent State University, Scientific Publications: Geology] 234:227-241

E. A. Maleev. 1954. Noviy cherepachoobrazhniy yashcher v Mongolii [New tortoise-like saurian from Mongolia]. Priroda 1954(3):106-108

Therizinosauridae

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