Body length
InferredAbout 5.2 m; museum reconstruction reference
The museum gives a whole-body reference without a named individual, maturity assessment or estimation method. It does not establish a measured adult maximum or population range. [D3]
EXHIBIT 130
Fukuisaurus
Fukuisaurus tetoriensis
Fukuisaurus was a plant-eating ornithopod from Japan. Newly recovered skull and forelimb parts have changed its museum reconstruction. [2]
TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST
Science & the silver screen
Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.
01 / SKELETAL RECONSTRUCTION
A framework from the fossils
Image unavailableHistoric Fukuisaurus skeletal reconstruction displayed with fossil elements.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Fukuisaurus mount photographed in 2018 at the Fukui museum. Restored body parts and posture are interpretive; additional skull and forelimb discoveries have revised the museum’s head reconstruction. [1]
Fukuisaurus skeletal mount · Titomaurer. CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized proportionally and converted to WebP; no anatomical edits. Same source license applies.
Skeletal mounts and drawings may restore missing parts; the caption identifies the displayed material.
02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION
A cinematic imagination
Image unavailableArtistic reconstruction of Fukuisaurus; colors and soft tissues are illustrative.The exhibit and its credited image source remain available.
Original cinematic interpretation of Fukuisaurus tetoriensis. Colors, soft tissues, scenery and missing anatomy are reconstructed artistic choices; this is not a directly observed individual or behavior. Missing body anatomy and posture are comparative, and the living skull outline remains a reconstruction. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.
Original artwork · artistic interpretation.
Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.
PERIODEarly Cretaceous[5]
DIETHerbivoreEvidence and uncertainty in the dossier
TOTAL LENGTHSee the dossierEstimate scope matters
FOSSILS FOUNDJapan[3]
MEET THE ANIMAL
Meet Fukuisaurus
Fukuisaurus was a dinosaur from the Kitadani Formation near Katsuyama, Japan. A museum body-length reference of about 5.2 metres introduces its scale without identifying a complete measured adult. The formation is placed in the Aptian Early Cretaceous by current research. That geological setting should stay separate from any individual specimen's maturity or exact body dimensions. [D3] [D5]
Its skull contains a strong connection between the upper jaw and another palate bone. Researchers interpreted this joint as resisting the sideways movement proposed for some other plant-eating dinosaurs. The result constrains one part of the feeding apparatus, rather than every possible motion of the jaws. Detailed anatomy can therefore refine a feeding model without supplying a directly observed meal. [D1]
Another local plant eater, Koshisaurus, has been diagnosed separately. Their shared quarry does not make the genera duplicates or prove that every loose bone belongs to Fukuisaurus. Bonebeds contain several animals and different kinds of remains. Keeping the identifications separate allows researchers to compare the local dinosaur community without blending its members into one reconstructed animal. [D4]
PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER
A life in profile.
The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.
A strong maxilla–vomer articulation distinguishes its upper jaw. The museum has revised the head as additional bones became available. [D1] [D2]
Profile scope: Genus profile centered on Fukuisaurus tetoriensis, named from skull material including type maxilla FPDM-V-40-1 and jugal FPDM-V-40-2; later finds expand the evidence. [D1] [D2]
- Time
- Early Cretaceous
- Fossil locations in this exhibit
- Japan
How to read the evidence
Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.
A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.
Body mass
Not establishedNot established here
Focused searches did not produce an inspected, transparent specimen-specific mass model. Repeated book figures lacked a checked model and maturity scope, so no numerical weight is adopted here.
Diet
InferredPlants
The museum identifies herbivory and a beaked plant-processing jaw. Differences from Koshisaurus may suggest dietary separation, but exact plant menus are not demonstrated. [D2]
Habitat & fossil setting
Source supportedAptian Kitadani Formation, Fukui, Japan
Current primary research places this dinosaur-bearing formation in the Aptian Early Cretaceous near Katsuyama. Quarry bonebeds contain several dinosaur and other vertebrate taxa. [D5] [D4]
Movement
InferredComparative biped with possible forelimb support
A two-legged ornithopod body, potentially able to use its forelimbs, is a comparative reconstruction. Newly recovered forelimb parts improve it; the reviewed sources do not establish habitual gait or speed. [D2]
Distinctive anatomy
Source supportedStrong, comparatively rigid upper-jaw connection
The maxilla–vomer joint was interpreted to resist the sideways upper-jaw movement proposed for some other ornithopods. This constrains one joint, not every possible motion during feeding. [D1]
Reproduction & life together
Reproduction & nesting
Not establishedNot established here
Small jaws interpreted as juvenile occur, but reviewed research and focused searches did not identify an assigned nest, egg clutch, incubation behavior or parental care. [D2]
Courtship & mating
Not establishedNot established here
No reviewed evidence establishes mating displays, calls, sex-specific coloration or mate choice. Comparisons with later duck-billed dinosaurs cannot supply those details.
Social behavior
Not establishedNot established here
Several dinosaurs occur in the mixed quarry. Their association does not establish persistent Fukuisaurus herds, family structure or relationships between individuals. [D4]
Dossier research & sources
Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.
- A new iguanodontian (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation of Fukui Prefecture, JapanJournal of Vertebrate Paleontology; Kobayashi & Azuma (2003) · Accessed 2026-10-02Indexed original-paper abstract and systematic/diagnostic excerpts inspected, including type bones and rigid maxilla–vomer joint. Direct full-PDF download returned 410; no full-paper access claimed. · Inspected: excerpt
- Fukuisaurus tetoriensis: dinosaur databaseFukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum · Accessed 2026-10-02Current Japanese database page: herbivory, beak/jaw form, small juvenile jaws, post-2016 cranial/forelimb discoveries and major head reconstruction revisions. · Inspected: page
- Fukuisaurus tetoriensis: museum image libraryFukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum · Accessed 2026-10-02Current page provides 5.2 m whole-body museum reference, Kitadani/Katsuyama provenance and reconstruction update; no individual or maturity specified. · Inspected: page
- New basal hadrosauroid (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation, Fukui, central JapanZootaxa; Shibata & Azuma (2015) · Accessed 2026-10-02Published-paper excerpt: Fukuisaurus and Koshisaurus remain distinct, quarry bonebeds contain multiple taxa and disarticulated/associated remains; Koshisaurus growth is excluded. · Inspected: excerpt
- New theropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Japan provides critical implications for the early evolution of ornithomimosaursScientific Reports; Hattori and colleagues (2023) · Accessed 2026-10-02Original introduction and locality section: current Aptian age of Kitadani Formation and Fukui/Katsuyama location; new ornithomimosaur claims are not transferred. · Inspected: page
THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS
Meet Fukuisaurus.
The museum reports that new skull and forelimb finds, especially since 2016, changed its restoration. A historic mount remains useful evidence of interpretation, but its head is not the final anatomical word. [2]
Another local plant-eater, Koshisaurus, has been diagnosed separately. Their shared quarry does not make the two genera duplicates or guarantee that every loose bone belongs to Fukuisaurus. [4]
A note on scale and time
The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.
Sources & editorial notes
Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.
- A new iguanodontian (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation of Fukui Prefecture, JapanJournal of Vertebrate Paleontology; Kobayashi & Azuma (2003) · Accessed 2026-10-02Indexed original-paper abstract and systematic/diagnostic excerpts inspected, including type bones and rigid maxilla–vomer joint. Direct full-PDF download returned 410; no full-paper access claimed. · Inspected: excerpt
- Fukuisaurus tetoriensis: dinosaur databaseFukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum · Accessed 2026-10-02Current Japanese database page: herbivory, beak/jaw form, small juvenile jaws, post-2016 cranial/forelimb discoveries and major head reconstruction revisions. · Inspected: page
- Fukuisaurus tetoriensis: museum image libraryFukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum · Accessed 2026-10-02Current page provides 5.2 m whole-body museum reference, Kitadani/Katsuyama provenance and reconstruction update; no individual or maturity specified. · Inspected: page
- New basal hadrosauroid (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) from the Lower Cretaceous Kitadani Formation, Fukui, central JapanZootaxa; Shibata & Azuma (2015) · Accessed 2026-10-02Published-paper excerpt: Fukuisaurus and Koshisaurus remain distinct, quarry bonebeds contain multiple taxa and disarticulated/associated remains; Koshisaurus growth is excluded. · Inspected: excerpt
- New theropod dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of Japan provides critical implications for the early evolution of ornithomimosaursScientific Reports; Hattori and colleagues (2023) · Accessed 2026-10-02Original introduction and locality section: current Aptian age of Kitadani Formation and Fukui/Katsuyama location; new ornithomimosaur claims are not transferred. · Inspected: page
KEEP EXPLORING
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