Dinosaur genus
Anzu
Anzu is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 72.2–66 million years old, in 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 11 October 2026- Named by
- Lamanna et al. 2014
high
high: PBDB and Wikidata agree.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Described in
- M. C. Lamanna, H.-D. Sues, E. R. Schachner, T. R. Lyson (2014). A New large-bodied oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur from the latest Cretaceous of western North America. PLoS ONE 9(3): e92022:1–16. Read it
high
high: PBDB gives this publication for the name; its author and year match the naming authority (Lamanna et al. 2014), on which PBDB and Wikidata agree.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.
- Lived
- Maastrichtian, 72.2–66 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Omnisaura calculation72.2–66 million years ago, from its dated fossil recordsmedium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 4 confirmed PBDB records.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Fossils found in
- United States
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
- Rock formations
- Hell Creek Formation
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (4 records).Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Canonical names, automatic and editor-approved matches applied.
- Family
- Caenagnathidae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Parent group
- Caenagnathinae
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
- Named after
- Zu
medium
medium: Only Wikidata gives this; nothing contradicts it.Sources
Given by: Wikidata. How it was chosen: Wikidata leads.
- Species named in its records
- Anzu wyliei
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (the species its fossil records are identified as).
- Diet
- omnivore (inferred for its group)
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this, and it infers it for the whole of Oviraptorosauria, the group this genus belongs to, not from this genus's own fossils.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
- Way of life
- ground dwelling (inferred for its group)
low
low: PBDB infers this way of life for the whole of Oviraptorosauria; behaviour is rarely known for one genus.Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB, inferred from a group the genus belongs to.
- Known from
- Bones
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database (what the name was based on).
Gaps are answers
What isn't known yet
- Type species: no source we use gives it yet.
- Order: no source we use gives it yet.
- Common names: no source we use gives it yet.
- Held back: 2 fossil records left out: identified only tentatively (for example "cf.", "?" or the name in quotation marks).
- Resting on one source: 5 facts come from a single source with nothing against them (rated medium): parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB); named after (Wikidata); diet (PBDB).
Size and appearance aren't covered yet, and diet and way of life only as PBDB infers them for the wider group. Omnisaura leaves the rest 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: Hell Creek.
Going by the ages and rock formations of their dated fossils, as on the map. Compare their fossil sites on the map.
Connections
Genera linked to Anzu by where and when their fossils were found, by classification and by who named them. Select a name to open its page.
Same rocks, same time 27
Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.
Same family: Caenagnathidae 10
Other genera in Caenagnathidae with a full profile.
Found in United States 54
Other genera found in United States, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.
Credits
Where this page comes from
- Paleobiology DatabaseCC BY 4.0 · fossil records, ages, classification
- Natural History Museum Data PortalCC0 1.0 · catalogued specimens
- WikidataCC0 1.0 · names and identifiers
- 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
Pictures linked from this page are credited beside each one, with their own licences; the full list is in the JSON download.