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Oviraptorosaurs
Oviraptorosaurs ("egg thief lizards") are a group of feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period of what are now Asia and North America. They are distinct for their characteristically short, beaked, parrot-like skulls, with or without bony crests atop the head. They ranged in size from ''Caudipteryx'', which was the size of a turkey, to the 8-meter-long, 1.4-ton ''Gigantoraptor''. The group (along with all maniraptoran dinosaurs) is close to the ancestry of birds. Some researchers such as Maryanska ''et al'' (2002) and Osmólska ''et al.'' (2004) have proposed that they may represent primitive flightless birds.Osmólska, Halszka, Currie, Philip J., Brasbold, Rinchen (2004) "The Dinosauria" Weishampel, Dodson, Osmólska. "Chapter 8 Oviraptorosauria" University of California Press. The most complete oviraptorosaur specimens have been found in Asia. The North American oviraptorosaur record is sparse.Varricchio, D. J. 2001. Late Cretaceous oviraptorosaur (Theropoda) ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caudipteryx
''Caudipteryx'' (which means "tail feather") is a genus of peacock-sized theropod dinosaurs that lived in the Barremian age of the early Cretaceous (about 124.6 million years ago). They were feathered and extremely birdlike in their overall appearance, to the point that some paleontologists think it was a bird. Two species have been described: ''C. zoui'' (the type species), in 1998, and ''C. dongi'', in 2000. ''Caudipteryx'' fossils were first discovered in the Yixian Formation of the Sihetun area of Liaoning Province, northeastern China in 1997. Description ''Caudipteryx'', like many other maniraptorans, has a mix of reptile- and bird-like anatomical features.Witmer, L.M. (2005). “The Debate on Avian Ancestry; Phylogeny, Function and Fossils”, ''Mesozoic Birds: Above the Heads of Dinosaurs'' : 3–30. It had a short, boxy skull with a beak-like snout that retained only a few tapered teeth in the front of the upper jaw. It had a stout trunk, long legs and was probably a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gigantoraptor
''Gigantoraptor'' () is a genus of large oviraptorosaur dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. It is known from the Iren Dabasu Formation of Inner Mongolia, where the first remains were found in 2005. ''Gigantoraptor'' was the largest oviraptorosaur, reaching in length and in body mass. It had an extensively pneumatized vertebral column and elongated arms and legs. Both femur and tibia measured over in length, an unusual trait among giant theropods. The lower jaws were toothless and ended in a keratinous beak, as seen in other oviraptorosaurs. Though several oviraptorosaur species are known to have developed a full coat of feathers, ''Gigantoraptor'', due to its size, could have lost some of this integument. The genus is classified as an oviraptorosaurian dinosaur, a group of generally small feathered animals. Though it was originally found to represent a basal oviraptorid, subsequent analyses have shown it to be a caenagnathid. It was a giant, ground ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protarchaeopteryx
''Protarchaeopteryx'' (meaning "before ''Archaeopteryx''") is a genus of turkey-sized feathered theropod dinosaur from China.Ji, Q., and Ji, S. (1997). "Protarchaeopterygid bird (''Protarchaeopteryx'' gen. nov.) – fossil remains of archaeopterygids from China." ''Chinese Geology'', 238: 38–41. Known from the Jianshangou bed of the Yixian Formation, it lived during the early Aptian age of the Early Cretaceous, approximately 124.6 million years ago.Zhou, Z. (2006). "Evolutionary radiation of the Jehol Biota: chronological and ecological perspectives." ''Geological Journal'', 41: 377–393. It was probably a herbivore or omnivore, although its hands were very similar to those of small carnivorous dinosaurs. It appears to be one of the most basal members of the Oviraptorosauria, closely related to ''Incisivosaurus'', or a taxon slightly less closely related to birds than oviraptorosaurs were. Description The holotype and only known specimen of ''Protarchaeopteryx'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caudipteridae
Caudipteridae is a family of oviraptorosaurian dinosaurs known from the Early Cretaceous of China. Found in the Yixian and Jiufotang Formations, the group existed between 125 and 120 million years ago. Distinguishing characteristics of this group have been indicated as including a unique dagger-shaped pygostyle (the bone at the tip of the tail in birds, used to anchor a "fan" of feathers).He, T., Wang, X.-L., and Zhou, Z.-H. (2008). "A new genus and species of caudipterid dinosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of western Liaoning, China. The anatomical characteristics Caudipterids were highly uniform for most oviraptorians. of " ''Vertebrata PalAsiatica'', 46(3): 178-189. In 2015, the group was defined as "the most inclusive clade containing '' Caudipteryx zoui'' but not ''Oviraptor philoceratops'' and ''Caenagnathus collinsi''". The first caudipterid described was ''Caudipteryx zoui'' (named in 1998),Ji, Q., Currie, P.J., Norell, M.A., and Ji, S. (1998). "Two fe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Avimimus
''Avimimus'' ( ), meaning "bird mimic" (Latin ''avis'' = bird + ''mimus'' = mimic), is a genus of oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur, named for its bird-like characteristics, that lived in the late Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia, around 85 to 70 million years ago. Description ''Avimimus'' was a small, bird-like dinosaur with a length of 1.5 m (5 ft). The skull was small compared to the body, though the brain and eyes were large. The size of the bones which surrounded the brain and were dedicated to protecting it are large. This is also consistent with the hypothesis that ''Avimimus'' had a proportionally large brain. The jaws of ''Avimimus'' were thought to form a parrot-like beak lacking teeth, and a thorough review of the holotype specimen's anatomy confirmed that no teeth were preserved, although a series of tooth-like projections along the tip of the premaxilla were. However, subsequently discovered specimens have been reported to preserve small prem ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Incisivosaurus Gauthieri
''Incisivosaurus'' ("incisor lizard") is a genus of small, probably herbivorous theropod dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous Period of what is now the People's Republic of China. The first specimen to be described (by Xu ''et al.'' in 2002), IVPP V13326, is a skull that was collected from the lowermost levels (the fluvial Lujiatun beds) of the Yixian Formation (dating to the Barremian stage about 126 million years ago) in the Sihetun area, near Beipiao City, in western Liaoning Province. The most significant, and highly unusual, characteristic of this dinosaur is its apparent adaptation to an herbivorous or omnivorous lifestyle. It was named for its prominent, rodent-like front teeth, which show wear patterns commonly found in plant-eating dinosaurs. The specific name ''gauthieri'' honors Dr. Jacques Gauthier, a pioneer of the phylogenetic method of classification. Description The initial description of ''Incisivosaurus'' by Xu ''et al.'' showed that the skull, which measures ap ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Incisivosaurus
''Incisivosaurus'' ("incisor lizard") is a genus of small, probably herbivorous theropod dinosaurs from the early Cretaceous Period of what is now the People's Republic of China. The first specimen to be described (by Xu ''et al.'' in 2002), IVPP V13326, is a skull that was collected from the lowermost levels (the fluvial Lujiatun beds) of the Yixian Formation (dating to the Barremian stage about 126 million years ago) in the Sihetun area, near Beipiao, Beipiao City, in western Liaoning Province. The most significant, and highly unusual, characteristic of this dinosaur is its apparent adaptation to an herbivorous or omnivorous lifestyle. It was named for its prominent, rodent-like front teeth, which show wear patterns commonly found in plant-eating dinosaurs. The specific name (zoology), specific name ''gauthieri'' honors Jacques Gauthier, Dr. Jacques Gauthier, a pioneer of the phylogenetic method of classification. Description The initial description of ''Incisivosaurus'' by Xu ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ningyuansaurus
''Ningyuansaurus'' is a basal oviraptorosaurian dinosaur genus. It contains the single species ''Ningyuansaurus wangi'', known from a fossil specimen from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation (Aptian stage, 124.6 Ma ago) of Jianchang, western Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China. It is thought to be the basalmost species of oviraptorosaur, based on its long skull and a greater number of teeth in comparison to any other known oviraptorosaur. The generic name ''Ningyuansaurus'' is derived from Ningyuan, an ancient name for Xingcheng City. The specific name honors Wang Qiuwu, the private owner of the specimen who donated it for scientific study. The specimen is now in the Confuciusornis Museum in Xingcheng. Description The only known fossil specimen of ''N. wangi'' is notable for having a large number of teeth compared to more advanced oviraptorosaurs, but the teeth in the back of the upper jaw (maxilla) are still reduced in number compared to most other non-avialan ther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Protarchaeopteryx Robusta
''Protarchaeopteryx'' (meaning "before ''Archaeopteryx''") is a genus of turkey-sized feathered theropod dinosaur from China.Ji, Q., and Ji, S. (1997). "Protarchaeopterygid bird (''Protarchaeopteryx'' gen. nov.) – fossil remains of archaeopterygids from China." ''Chinese Geology'', 238: 38–41. Known from the Jianshangou bed of the Yixian Formation, it lived during the early Aptian age of the Early Cretaceous, approximately 124.6 million years ago.Zhou, Z. (2006). "Evolutionary radiation of the Jehol Biota: chronological and ecological perspectives." ''Geological Journal'', 41: 377–393. It was probably a herbivore or omnivore, although its hands were very similar to those of small carnivorous dinosaurs. It appears to be one of the most basal members of the Oviraptorosauria, closely related to ''Incisivosaurus'', or a taxon slightly less closely related to birds than oviraptorosaurs were. Description The holotype and only known specimen of ''Protarchaeopteryx'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ningyuansaurus Wangi
''Ningyuansaurus'' is a basal oviraptorosaurian dinosaur genus. It contains the single species ''Ningyuansaurus wangi'', known from a fossil specimen from the Early Cretaceous Yixian Formation (Aptian stage, 124.6 Ma ago) of Jianchang, western Liaoning Province, People's Republic of China. It is thought to be the basalmost species of oviraptorosaur, based on its long skull and a greater number of teeth in comparison to any other known oviraptorosaur. The generic name ''Ningyuansaurus'' is derived from Ningyuan, an ancient name for Xingcheng City. The specific name honors Wang Qiuwu, the private owner of the specimen who donated it for scientific study. The specimen is now in the Confuciusornis Museum in Xingcheng. Description The only known fossil specimen of ''N. wangi'' is notable for having a large number of teeth compared to more advanced oviraptorosaurs, but the teeth in the back of the upper jaw (maxilla) are still reduced in number compared to most other non-avialan ther ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Caenagnathoidea
Caenagnathoidea ("recent jaw forms") is a group of advanced oviraptorosaurian dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period (geology), Period of what are now Asia and North America. They are distinct for their characteristically short, beaked, parrot-like skulls, often with bony crests atop the head. They ranged in size from ''Caudipteryx'', which was the size of a turkey, to the 8 meter long, 1.4 ton ''Gigantoraptor''.Xu, X., Tan, Q., Wang, J., Zhao, X., and Tan, L. (2007). "A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China." ''Nature'', 447: 844-847. The group (along with all maniraptoran dinosaurs) is close to the ancestry of birds. The most complete specimens have been found in Asia, representing members of the sub-group Oviraptorinae. Notable but fragmentary remains are also known from North America, almost all of which belong to the subgroup Elmisaurinae.Varricchio, D. J. 2001. Late Cretaceous oviraptorosaur (Theropoda) dinosaurs from Montana. pp. 42–57 in D. H. Tanke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweight skeleton. Birds live worldwide and range in size from the bee hummingbird to the ostrich. There are about ten thousand living species, more than half of which are passerine, or "perching" birds. Birds have whose development varies according to species; the only known groups without wings are the extinct moa and elephant birds. Wings, which are modified forelimbs, gave birds the ability to fly, although further evolution has led to the loss of flight in some birds, including ratites, penguins, and diverse endemic island species. The digestive and respiratory systems of birds are also uniquely adapted for flight. Some bird species of aquatic environments, particularly seabirds and some waterbirds, have further evolved for swimming. B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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