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Oviraptorinae
Oviraptoridae is a group of bird-like, herbivorous and omnivorous maniraptoran dinosaurs. Oviraptorids are characterized by their toothless, parrot-like beaks and, in some cases, elaborate crests. They were generally small, measuring between one and two metres long in most cases, though some possible oviraptorids were enormous. Oviraptorids are currently known only from the Late Cretaceous of Asia, with the most well-known species and complete specimens found only in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia and northwestern China. Description The most characteristic feature of this group is the skull structure. Oviraptorids had short snouts and very deep mandibles. Some taxa (such as ''Citipati'', ''Corythoraptor'', ''Rinchenia'') had a midline crest on top of the skull, resembling that of a cassowary. Other distinguishing characteristics include a bony spike intruding on the mandibular fenestra, nostrils placed very high and far back on the snout, an extremely thin bony bar beneath the eye, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nemegtomaia
''Nemegtomaia'' is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur from what is now Mongolia that lived in the Late Cretaceous Period (geology), Period, about 70million years ago. The first specimen was found in 1996, and became the basis of the new genus and species ''N. barsboldi'' in 2004. The original genus name was ''Nemegtia'', but this was changed to ''Nemegtomaia'' in 2005, as the former name was preoccupied. The first part of the generic name refers to the Nemegt Basin, where the animal was found, and the second part means "good mother", in reference to the fact that oviraptorids are known to have brooded their eggs. The Specific name (zoology), specific name honours the palaeontologist Rinchen Barsbold. Two more specimens were found in 2007, one of which was found on top of a nest with eggs, but the dinosaur had received its genus name before it was found associated with eggs. ''Nemegtomaia'' is estimated to have been around 2 m (7 ft) in length, and to have weighed 40 k ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Yulong Mini
''Yulong'' is an extinct genus of derived oviraptorid theropod dinosaur known from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Henan Province, central China. It contains a single species, ''Yulong mini''. It is known from many juvenile specimens that represent some of the smallest known oviraptorids and also a single subadult specimen. Discovery and naming Specimens of ''Yulong'' were collected near Qiupa Town in Luanchuan County, Henan Province, from the Qiupa Formation. The exact geological age of the Qiupa Formation is unknown, but it probably dates to the Late Cretaceous based on the presence of oviraptorids (''Yulong''), dromaeosaurids (''Luanchuanraptor''), ornithomimids (''Qiupalong''), alvarezsaurs (''Qiupanykus'') and other, undescribed, derived dinosaur specimens. ''Yulong'' was first described and named by Junchang Lü, Philip J. Currie, Li Xu, Xingliao Zhang, Hanyong Pu and Songhai Jia in 2013 and the type species is ''Yulong mini''. The generic name is derived fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nankangia
''Nankangia'' is an extinct genus of caenagnathoid oviraptorosaurian dinosaur known from the Upper Cretaceous Nanxiong Formation of Nankang County, Ganzhou City of Jiangxi Province, southeastern China. It contains a single species, ''Nankangia jiangxiensis''. ''N. jiangxiensis'' coexisted with at least four other caenagnathoids, including but not limited to ''Corythoraptor'', '' Banji long'', '' Ganzhousaurus nankangensis'' and '' Jiangxisaurus ganzhouensis''. The relatively short dentary and non-downturned mandibular symphysis of ''Nankangia'' suggest that it may have been more herbivorous than carnivorous. Its diet consisted of leaves and seeds. Discovery ''Nankangia'' was first described and named by Lü Junchang, Yi Laiping, Zhong Hui and Wei Xuefang in 2013 and the type species is ''Nankangia jiangxiensis''. The generic name honors the Chinese administrative unit Nankang County in Jiangxi Province, and the specific name honors the province where the holotype site in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ganzhousaurus
''Ganzhousaurus'' (meaning "Ganzhou lizard") is an extinct genus of oviraptorid dinosaur known from the Late Cretaceous Nanxiong Formation of Nankang County, Ganzhou City of Jiangxi Province, southern China. It was found in a Maastrichtian deposit and contains a single species, ''Ganzhousaurus nankangensis''. It is distinguished by a combination of primitive and derived features. Phylogeny Phylogenetic analysis places ''Ganzhousaurus'' within Oviraptoridae. Within Oviraptoridae its phylogenetic position is more unstable, with one phylogenetic analysis recovering it as a member of the Oviraptorinae and another recovering it as a more derived member of the group, closely related to "ingeniines" However, it also bears some similarities to the basal caenagnathid ''Gigantoraptor''. Paleobiology ''Ganzhousaurus'' shared its habitat with at least four other oviraptorid species, '' Jiangxisaurus ganzhouensis, Nankangia jinzhouensis, Banji long,'' and an as-yet unnamed species. This ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heyuannia
''Heyuannia'' ("from Heyuan") is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, in what is now China and Mongolia. It was the first oviraptorid found in China; most others were found in neighbouring Mongolia. Two species are known: ''H. huangi'', named by Lü Junchang in 2002 from the Dalangshan Formation; and ''H. yanshini'', originally named as a separate genus ''Ingenia'' from the Barun Goyot Formation by Rinchen Barsbold in 1981, and later renamed to ''Ajancingenia'' in 2013 due to the preoccupation of ''Ingenia''. The latter name was eventually discarded due to various ethical issues surrounding the author. Discovery and naming ''H. huangi'' The type species, ''Heyuannia huangi'', was named and described by Lü Junchang in 2002. The generic name refers to the city of Heyuan. The specific name honours Huang Dong, the director of the Heyuan Museum. The holotype, HYMV1-1, was discovered in Guangdong near Huangsha in layers of the Dalang ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Citipati
''Citipati'' (; meaning "funeral pyre lord") is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. It is mainly known from the Ukhaa Tolgod locality at the Djadokhta Formation, where the first remains were collected during the 1990s. The genus and type species ''Citipati osmolskae'' were named and described in 2001. A second species from the adjacent Zamyn Khondt locality may also exist. ''Citipati'' is one of the best-known oviraptorids thanks to a number of well-preserved specimens, including individuals found in brooding positions atop nests of eggs, though most of them were initially referred to the related ''Oviraptor''. These nesting specimens have helped to solidify the link between non-avian dinosaurs and birds. ''Citipati'' was among the largest oviraptorids; it is estimated to have been around in length and to have weighed . Its skull was highly pneumatized, short, and had a characteristic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Huanansaurus
''Huanansaurus'' is an extinct genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived approximately 72 million years ago, between the Campanian and Maastrichtian, during the latter part of the Cretaceous period in what is now China, in the Nanxiong Formation. Discovery and designation The skeleton of a new oviraptorid ''Huanansaurus ganzhouensis'' was uncovered during the construction of the Ganzhou railway station in Jiangxi province, China. In 2015, Lü Junchang, Pu Hanyong, Yoshitsugu Kobayashi, Xu Li, Chang Huali, Shang Yuhua, Liu Di, Lee Yuong-Nam, Martin Kundrát and Shen Caizhi named and described the type species ''Huanansaurus ganzhouensis''. The generic name is derived from Huanan, "Southern China". The specific name refers to the provenance from Ganzhou. ''Huanansaurus'' was one of eighteen dinosaur taxa from 2015 to be described in open access or free-to-read journals. The holotype, HGM41HIII-0443, was found in a layer of the Nanxiong Formation dating from the Campanian - Maastr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Crest (feathers)
The crest is a prominent feature exhibited by several bird and other dinosaur species on their heads. It is distinct from features such as casques and cockscombs - sometimes erroneously referred to as "crests", which are bony and fleshy structures respectively. The crest is made up of semiplume feathers: a long rachis with barbs on either side. These are plumulaceous feathers, meaning that they are soft and bendable. In birds, these semiplumes are common along the head, neck, and upper back, and may be used for buoyancy and sensing vibrations. Crests on birds are generally used for display purposes. Cockatoos and their smaller cousins, cockatiels, are part of the parrot family Cacatuidae found in Australia, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Philippines, and are probably the most recognizable birds to feature crests. Cockatoos and cockatiels possess crests which may be raised or lowered at will. Their crests are used to communicate with fellow members of their species, or as a fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of reptiles of the clade Dinosauria. They first appeared during the Triassic period, between 243 and 233.23 million years ago (mya), although the exact origin and timing of the evolution of dinosaurs is the subject of active research. They became the dominant terrestrial vertebrates after the Triassic–Jurassic extinction event 201.3 mya; their dominance continued throughout the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. The fossil record shows that birds are feathered dinosaurs, having evolved from earlier theropods during the Late Jurassic epoch, and are the only dinosaur lineage known to have survived the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event approximately 66 mya. Dinosaurs can therefore be divided into avian dinosaurs—birds—and the extinct non-avian dinosaurs, which are all dinosaurs other than birds. Dinosaurs are varied from taxonomic, morphological and ecological standpoints. Birds, at over 10,700 living species, are among ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rinchenia
''Rinchenia'' (named after Byambyn Rinchen) is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch in what is now Mongolia, Nemegt Formation, around 70 million years ago. The type and only known species, ''Rinchenia mongoliensis'', was originally classified as a species within the genus ''Oviraptor'' (named ''Oviraptor mongoliensis''), but a subsequent rexamination found differences significant enough to warrant a separate genus. The name ''Rinchenia'' was coined for this new genus, though not formally described in detail. History of discovery During 1984, a nearly complete oviraptorid skeleton was discovered at the Altan Uul II (or Altan Ula II) locality of the highly fossiliferous Nemegt Formation, Gobi Desert. This newly collected specimen, MPC-D 100/32-A, included the skull and lower jaws in their entirety, nearly complete vertebral column, forelimbs with shoulder girdle, and partial hindlimbs with pelvic girdle. Later on, Mongolian paleontol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oksoko Avarsan
''Oksoko'' (''Oak-soak-oh''; from '' Öksökö'', a mythical bird of Yakut folklore) is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Asia, that lived in what is now the Nemegt Formation in Mongolia. It includes the type species ''Oksoko avarsan''. History of discovery The first specimen of ''Oksoko'', MPC-D 100/33, was discovered in 1974 by the Soviet-Mongolian Palaeontological Expedition at the Bügiin Tsav locality in the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. It is represented by a partial subadult postcranial skeleton. The holotype specimen is a block of an assemblage of three individuals buried in life positions that has been labelled as MPC-D 102/110. The first individual, subcatalogued as MPC-D 102/110a, is a partial skeleton of a juvenile preserving the skull, cervical vertebrae, pelvis, hindlimbs, and caudal vertebrae. Another specimen in this block is represented by MPC-D 102/110b, a large quadrate and quadratojugal. The third specimen in this assemblage is MPC-D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Machairasaurus
''Machairasaurus'' is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur which was found in the Bayan Mandahu Formation, China, dating to the late Cretaceous period. Discovery During the Sino-Canadian expeditions of 1988 and 1990 some skeletons of unknown oviraptorosaurians were discovered by Philip J. Currie in Inner Mongolia. Based on two of these a new genus was named and described by Nicholas R. Longrich, Currie and Dong Zhiming in 2010 with as type species ''Machairasaurus leptonychus''. The generic name is derived from Greek ('), "short scimitar". The specific name is derived from Greek ('), "slender", and ('), "claw". The species name as a whole refers to the sabre-like claws of the hand. The holotype, IVPP V15979, was found in layers of the Bayan Mandahu dating from the late Campanian. It mainly consists of a left frontlimb, including the lower end of the lower arm, two carpal bones and a complete hand. Also some fragmentary foot elements were present. The other find is the paratype, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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