Dinosaur genus

Caenagnathus

Sternberg 1940

Caenagnathus is a dinosaur genus known from bones, found in rocks 83.6–66 million years old, in Canada and the United States.

Confidence labels

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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

83.6–66 Ma

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114366

The last non-bird dinosaurs died out 66 million years ago. That's as far from us as the end of this bar.

Named by: Sternberg 1940
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Described in: R. M. Sternberg (1940). A toothless bird from the Cretaceous of Alberta. Journal of Paleontology 14(1): 81–85.
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; its author and year match the naming authority (Sternberg 1940).
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: Caenagnathus collinsi
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Lived: Campanian to Maastrichtian, 83.6–66 million years ago
medium
medium: Only PBDB gives this; nothing contradicts it.
Omnisaura calculation83.6–66 million years ago, from its dated fossil records
medium
medium: Omnisaura's calculation from 8 confirmed PBDB records.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: PBDB leads.
Fossils found in: Canada
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (7 records).
United States
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
Sources
Given by: Paleobiology Database. How it was chosen: Union of all sources (ISO 3166).
Rock formations: Dinosaur Park
medium
medium: Only PBDB records it (7 records).
Hell Creek Formation
low
low: Only one PBDB record.
mixed
mixed: Levels differ between entries; each has its own.
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.
Species named in its records: Caenagnathus collinsi
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).

Sources: Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0), Natural History Museum Data Portal (CC0 1.0), Wikidata (CC0 1.0)Confidence levels and gaps are Omnisaura's own assessment.

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): authority (PBDB); type species (PBDB); parent group (PBDB); family (PBDB); age (headline) (PBDB); 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…?

Did Caenagnathus meet ?

Yes. Both are found, identified to species, in the same rocks of the same age: Dinosaur Park.

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 Caenagnathus 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 56

Genera found in the same rock units, from rocks of overlapping age, the most shared fossil sites first.

Triceratops Richardoestesia Saurornitholestes Centrosaurus Paronychodon Tyrannosaurus Troodon Edmontosaurus Thescelosaurus Corythosaurus Chirostenotes Chasmosaurus Pachycephalosaurus Dromaeosaurus Lambeosaurus Gorgosaurusand 40 more

Same family: Caenagnathidae 10

Other genera in Caenagnathidae with a full profile.

Anomalipes Anzu Apatoraptor Beibeilong Caenagnathasia Chirostenotes Citipes Elmisaurus Leptorhynchos Microvenator

Named by Sternberg 14

Genera whose naming authority includes the same surname. The authority has no initials, so different people who share a surname can appear together.

Amblydactylus Anodontosaurus Brachylophosaurus Columbosauripus Edmontonia Gypsichnites Irenesauripus Irenichnites Montanoceratops Ornithomimipus Pachyrhinosaurus Parksosaurus Stenonychosaurus Tetrapodosaurus

Found in Canada 73

Other genera found in Canada, from rocks of overlapping age, the most fossil sites there first.

Saurornitholestes Richardoestesia Centrosaurus Troodon Paronychodon Dromaeosaurus Corythosaurus Chasmosaurus Lambeosaurus Stegoceras Gorgosaurus Prosaurolophus Stenonychosaurus Euoplocephalus Styracosaurus Daspletosaurusand 57 more

Where its fossils were found

7 fossil sites, with present-day and ancient positions

Open the map at this time

Cite this page

Omnisaura (2026). Caenagnathus. Future Sailors. https://www.omnisaura.com/genera/caenagnathus. Data as of 11 October 2026.

What's changed

No changes since the change log started (11 Oct 2026).

Every change to Omnisaura

Use this data

Download this genus as JSON With every source and licence attached. Also recorded in: Paleobiology Database · Wikipedia (English) · GBIF · Wikidata Spotted a problem? Tell us

Pictures

1 openly licensed picture of Caenagnathus on Wikimedia Commons and museum sites, each with its own author and licence.

Caenagnathus mandible.jpg
Gregory Funston, CC BY 4.0

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.