Beipiaosaurus Rarus

Beipiaosaurus is a genus of therizinosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of China. It gets its name "Beipiao Lizard" from the City in China its remains were found nearby. It's small for a therizinosaur, stretching seven feet long and weighing close to a ton, it also sported a coat of feathers. Beiapiaosaurus has given us an insight into Therizinosaur evolution and classification. 

The exact classification of therizinosaurs had in the past been hotly debated, since their prosauropod-like teeth and body structure indicate that they were generally herbivorous, unlike typical theropods. Beipiaosaurus, being considered to be a primitive therizinosauroid, has features which suggest that all therizinosauroids, including the more derived Therizinosauridae, to be coelurosaurian theropods, not sauropodomorph or ornithischian relatives as once believed.

Beipiaosaurus had enormous hand claws, like most Therizinosaurs. They would have been used as defense, or to bring high branches closer to the ground. It would have eaten the huge conifer trees the dominated the landscape. This therizinosaur lived with the mid sized carnivorous theropods Yutyrannus and Sinotyrannus, as well as the Dromaeosaur Tianyuraptor, the troodontoid  Mei, and the microraptorid Graciliraptor, and the sauropod Dongbeititan. Facing a single predator, Beipiaosaurus could defend itself with ease. But faced with a pack of hungry predators, it would have little chance. The predators of the area would leave this intimadating animal along for the most part. Beipiaosaurus most likely lived in small groups, to increase its safety.