Alxasaurus elesitaiensis. Original artwork from Feathered Dinosaurs.

2006.
Watercolour and gouache on Arches paper 410 x 650 mm, unframed, signed and dated by artist.

Alxasaurus elesitaiensis. Original artwork from Feathered Dinosaurs. Alxa desert lizard found at Elesitai village.

Alxasaurus is known from five skeletons recovered from the Alxa Desert region of inner Mongolia, collected in 1988 on the joint SinoCanadian dinosaur expeditions. It was an exciting discovery as previously very little was known of the strange therizinosaur group. Most of the body skeleton of Alxasaurus is preserved but only the lower jaw is preserved from the skull. The largest specimen reached 3.8 metres in length. Like other therizinosaurs, it had a long neck, large arms with enlarged hand claws, a robust pelvis and a short tail. Alxasaurus is characterised by the primitive nature of its many teeth - it had 40 on its lower jaw. More evolved therizinosaurs had fewer teeth.

Artist's note: This painting depicts two males fighting over territory. The older and larger male, on the right, has a face flushed with red, which signals his status to the younger, subordinate interloper.

Infraorder: Coelurosauria
Family: Therizinosauridae
Age: Early Cretaceous
Locality: near Elesitai, Alxa Desert region, Inner Mongolia, China.