# Xu Xing (paleontologist)

Xu Xing (Chinese: 徐星; pinyin: Xú Xīng; born July 1969) is a Chinese paleontologist who has named more dinosaurs than any other living paleontologist. Such dinosaurs include the Jurassic ceratopsian Yinlong, the Jurassic tyrannosauroid Guanlong, the large oviraptorosaur Gigantoraptor, and the troodontid Mei.

## Biography

Xing was born in Xinjiang, China, in 1969. A graduate from the department of geology of Peking University, he is currently a researcher at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. He had originally planned to become an economist. However, he was assigned to the department of geology by the Chinese authorities. He graduated in 1995, and claims inspiration from Roy Chapman Andrews.
Among Xu's paleontological contributions have been discovery and analysis of dinosaur fossils with avian characteristics, and development of theories in regarding the evolution of feathers. In 2024, Xu became a laureate of the Asian Scientist 100 by the Asian Scientist.

## Genera described by Xu Xing

| Name | Year | Status | Coauthor(s) | Coauthor(s) | Notes |
| Archaeovolans | 2002 | Junior synonym | Stephen Czerkas | | Junior synonym of Yanornis. |
| Beipiaosaurus | 1999 | Valid taxon. | Tang Z. | Wang Xiaolin | |
| Chaoyangsaurus | 1999 | Valid taxon. | Zhao Xijin | Cheng Z. | |
| Dilong | 2004 | Valid taxon. | Mark Norell Kuang Xuewen Wang Xiaolin | Zhao Qi Jia Chengkai | |
| Erliansaurus | 2002 | Valid taxon. | Zhang Z. Paul Sereno Zhao Xijin | Kuang X. Han J. Tan L. | |
| Eshanosaurus | 2001 | Valid taxon. | Zhao Xijin | James M. Clark | |
| Gigantoraptor | 2007 | Valid taxon. | Tan Q. Wang J. | Zhao Xijin Tan L. | |
| Graciliraptor | 2004 | Valid taxon. | Wang Xiaolin | | |
| Guanlong | 2006 | Valid taxon. | James M. Clark C. Forster Mark Norell | Greg Erickson D. Eberth Jia C. Zhao Q. | |
| Hongshanosaurus | 2003 | Nomen dubium | You Hailu | Wang Xiaolin | May be junior synonym of Psittacosaurus. |
| Incisivosaurus | 2000 | Valid taxon. | Cheng Y. Wang Xiaolin | Chang C. | |
| Jeholosaurus | 2000 | Valid taxon. | Wang Xiaolin | You Hailu | |
| Jinzhousaurus | 2001 | Valid taxon. | Wang Xiaolin | | |
| Liaoceratops | 2002 | Valid taxon. | | | |
| Liaoningosaurus | 2001 | Valid taxon. | Wang Xiaolin | You Hailu | |
| Limusaurus | 2009 | Valid taxon. | James M. Clark Jinyou Mo Jonah Choiniere Catherine A. Forster Gregory M. Erickson David W. E. Hone Corwin Sullivan | David A. Eberth Sterling Nesbitt Qi Zhao Rene Hernandez Cheng-kai Jia Feng-lu Han Yu Guo | |
| Lingwulong | 2018 | Valid taxon. | Upchurch, P. Mannion, P. Barrett, P. Regalado-Fernandez, O. | Ma, J. Liu, H. Mo, J. | |
| Linheraptor | 2010 | Valid taxon. | Choinere, J. Pittman, M. Tan, Q. Xiao, D. Li, Z. | Tan, L. Clark, J. Norell, M. Hone, D.W.E. Sullivan | |
| Mei long | 2004 | Valid taxon. | Mark Norell | | |
| Microraptor | 2000 | Valid taxon. | Zhou Zhonghe | Wang Xiaolin | |
| Nanyangosaurus | 2000 | Valid taxon. | Zhao Lu Huang | Li Dong | |
| Neimongosaurus | 2001 | Valid taxon. | Zhang X. Paul Sereno | Kwang Tan | |
| Pedopenna | 2005 | Valid taxon. | Zhang Fucheng | | |
| Sinornithosaurus | 1999 | Valid taxon. | Wang Xiaolin | Wu Xiao-Chun | |
| Sinovenator | 2002 | Valid taxon. | Mark Norell Peter Makovicky | Wang Xiaolin Wu Xiao-Chun | |
| Sinusonasus | 2004 | Valid taxon. | Wang Xiaolin | | |
| Sonidosaurus | 2006 | Valid taxon. | Zhang X. Tan Q. | Zhao Xijin Tan L. | |
| Xinjiangovenator | 2005 | Valid taxon. | Oliver Rauhut | | Previously described as a specimen of Phaedrolosaurus by Dong Zhiming in 1973. |
| Xixianykus | 2010 | Valid taxon. | De-You Wang Corwin Sullivan David W. E. Hone | Feng-Lu Han Rong-Hao Yan Fu-Ming Du | |
| Yi | 2015 | Valid taxon. | Zheng Xiaoting Corwin Sullivan Wang Xiaoli Xing Lida Wang Yan | Zhang Xiaomei Jingmai O'Connor Zhang Fucheng Pan Yanhong | |
| Yinlong | 2006 | Valid taxon. | C. Forster James M. Clark | Mark Norell Mo J. | |
| Yixianosaurus | 2003 | Valid taxon. | Wang Xiaolin | | |
| Yutyrannus | 2012 | Valid taxon. | Kebai Wang Ke Zhang Qingyu Ma Lida Xing | Corwin Sullivan Dongyu Hu Shuqing Cheng Shuo Wang | |
| Zhuchengceratops | 2010 | Valid taxon. | Kebai Wang Xijin Zhao | Corwin Sullivan Shuqing Chen | |

## Selected publications

* Xu, Xing; Norell, Mark A; et al. (2004). "Basal tyrannosauroids from China and evidence for protofeathers in tyrannosauroids" (PDF). Nature. 431 (7009): 680–684. Bibcode:2004Natur.431..680X. doi:10.1038/nature02855. PMID 15470426. S2CID 4381777. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-04-02.
* Xu, Xing; Clark, James M; Forster, Catherine A; et al. (2006). "A basal tyrannosauroid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of China" (PDF). Nature. 9 (7077): 715–718. Bibcode:2006Natur.439..715X. doi:10.1038/nature04511. PMID 16467836. S2CID 4424849.
* Xu, Xing; et al. (2007). "A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China" (PDF). Nature. 447 (7146): 844–847. Bibcode:2007Natur.447..844X. doi:10.1038/nature05849. PMID 17565365. S2CID 6649123.
* Xu, Xing; et al. (2009). "A new feather type in a nonavian theropod and the early evolution of feathers". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 106 (3): 832–834. doi:10.1073/pnas.0810055106. PMC 2630069. PMID 19139401.
* Xu, X.; et al. (2012). "A gigantic feathered dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China" (PDF). Nature. 484 (7392): 92–95. Bibcode:2012Natur.484...92X. doi:10.1038/nature10906. PMID 22481363. S2CID 29689629. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 17, 2012.
* Xu, Xing; et al. (2015). "A bizarre Jurassic maniraptoran theropod with preserved evidence of membranous wings". Nature. 521 (7550): 70–73. Bibcode:2015Natur.521...70X. doi:10.1038/nature14423. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 25924069. S2CID 205243599.