Caenagnathids

Caenagnathids are a family of feathered theropod dinosaurs within the oviraptorosaur clade. They lived during the Late Cretaceous, roughly 100 to 70 million years ago, in what is now Asia and North America. The group is characterized by a beaked mouth and a short, robust skull, with limb proportions adapted for bipedal movement. Dentition varies among species, with some caenagnathids retaining small teeth and others showing a reduction toward edentulism, all beneath a keratinous beak.

Caenagnathidae is one of the two major branches of Oviraptorosauria, the other being Oviraptoridae. Notable members include Elmisaurus and the North American Anzu wyliei, a large caenagnathid described in 2014. Caenagnathids display a range of sizes, roughly from about one to three meters in length.

Diet is uncertain and likely varied; the beaked jaws and dental diversity suggest omnivory or herbivory, with possible processing of seeds and vegetation, along with occasional animal matter. The fossil record of caenagnathids is fragmentary but informative, primarily from Late Cretaceous deposits in North America and Asia. Ongoing phylogenetic work continues to resolve their relationships within Oviraptorosauria and to clarify how caenagnathids relate to other oviraptorosaurs.