Genus
Valid Extinct

Xenovenator

Rivera-Sylva et al. 2026

Xenovenator is an extinct genus of troodontid theropod dinosaurs known from the Late Cretaceous of North America. The type species of the genus, Xenovenator espinosai, is known from fragmentary skull bones found in the Cerro del Pueblo Formation of Mexico. It is characterized by an unusually expanded and rugose skull roof, somewhat comparable to that seen in pachycephalosaurs. This may imply Xenovenator individuals engaged in combat with other members of their species, a behavior for which adaptations had not been previously observed in non-avian paravians.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
5
Group
Dinosaures
Carnivore, omnivore Ground dwelling Terrestrial
Xenovenator
click to enlarge
Xenovenator espinosai, holotype braincase CPC 2973. In (A) left lateral; (B) right lateral; (C) dorsal; (D) ventral; (E) anterior; (F) posterior. Abbreviations: bo, basicoccipital; bul, parabasisphenoid bulla; ex, exoccipital; fr, frontal; lad, lateral depression; lac, lacrimal articulation; lat, laterosphenoid; osp, orbitosphenoid; par, parietal; pbs, parabasisphenoid; po, postorbital; ri, median ridge; sk, skull; stf, supratemporal fossa. © H. E. Rivera-Sylva, M. C. Aguillón-Martinez, J. Flores-Ventura, I. E. Sánchez-Uribe, J. R. Guzman-Gutierrez & N. R. Longrich · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
›
Theropoda Unranked clade
›
Neotheropoda Unranked clade
›
Averostra Unranked clade
›
Tetanurae Unranked clade
›
Coelurosauria Unranked clade
›
Maniraptora Unranked clade
›
Paraves Unranked clade
›
Deinonychosauria Infraorder
›
Troodontidae Family
›
Troodontinae Subfamily
›
Troodontini Tribe
›
Xenovenator Genus
Fossil sites 5 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇺🇸 United States
3
🇲🇽 Mexico
2
Geological formations
Kirtland
3
Cerro del Pueblo
2
Temporal distribution
Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)
5
Species (2)
Xenovenator espinosai 84 Ma
Xenovenator robustus 84 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
H. E. Rivera-Sylva, M. C. Aguillón-Martinez, and 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 DOI ↗
Bibliography (2)
H. E. Rivera-Sylva, M. C. Aguillón-Martinez, and 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 DOI ↗
R. M. Sullivan. 2006. Saurornitholestes robustus, n. sp. (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from the Upper Cretaceous Kirtland Formation (De-na-zin Member), San Juan Basin, New Mexico. Late Cretaceous Vertebrates from the Western Interior. New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Bulletin 35:253-256