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Ornithomimosaurs
Ornithomimosauria ("bird-mimic lizards") are theropod dinosaurs which bore a superficial resemblance to the modern-day ostrich. They were fast, omnivorous or herbivorous dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period of Laurasia (now Asia, Europe and North America), as well as Africa and possibly Australia. The group first appeared in the Early Cretaceous and persisted until the Late Cretaceous. Primitive members of the group include ''Nqwebasaurus'', ''Pelecanimimus'', ''Shenzhousaurus'', ''Hexing'' and ''Deinocheirus'', the arms of which reached 2.4 m (8 feet) in length. More advanced species, members of the family Ornithomimidae, include ''Gallimimus'', ''Struthiomimus'', and ''Ornithomimus''. Some paleontologists, like Paul Sereno, consider the enigmatic Alvarezsauridae, alvarezsaurids to be close relatives of the ornithomimosaurs and place them together in the superfamily Ornithomimoidea (see classification below). Description The skulls of ornithomimosaurs were small, with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deinocheirus
''Deinocheirus'' ( ) is a genus of large ornithomimosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous around 70 million years ago. In 1965, a pair of large arms, shoulder girdles, and a few other bones of a new dinosaur were first discovered in the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. In 1970, this specimen became the holotype of the only species within the genus, ''Deinocheirus mirificus''; the genus name is Greek for "horrible hand". No further remains were discovered for almost fifty years, and its nature remained a mystery. Two more complete specimens were described in 2014, which shed light on many aspects of the animal. Parts of these new specimens had been looted from Mongolia some years before, but were repatriated in 2014. ''Deinocheirus'' was an unusual ornithomimosaur, the largest of the clade at long, and weighing . Though it was a bulky animal, it had many hollow bones which saved weight. The arms were among the largest of any bipedal dinosaur at long, with large, blunt claws o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shenzhousaurus
''Shenzhousaurus'' (meaning "Shenzhou lizard") is a genus of basal ornithomimosaur from the Lower Cretaceous of China. The holotype (NGMC 97-4-002, National Geological Museum of China) was collected from near the bottom (fluvial beds) of the Yixian Formation (Aptian) at the Sihetun fossil site, Beipiao, western Liaoning Province. This specimen consists of a partial skeleton preserved on a sandstone slab in a " death pose," its head above the torso. The distal parts of the hindlimbs, distal portion of the tail, and the forelimbs (except for part of the right hand) and the pectoral girdle are missing. The head is crushed, exposing the left side obliquely. ''Shenzhousaurus'' was first described by Qiang Ji, Mark Norell, Peter J. Makovicky, Keqin Gao, Shu-An Ji and Chongxi Yuan in 2003 and the type species is ''Shenzhousaurus orientalis''. The genus is currently monotypic and appears to be more derived than ''Pelecanimimus polyodon'', yet less derived than ''Harpymimus oklandikovi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Deinocheiridae
Deinocheiridae is a family of ornithomimosaurian dinosaurs, living in Asia and the Americas from the Albian until the Maastrichtian. The family was originally named by Halszka Osmólska and Roniewicz in 1970, including only the type genus ''Deinocheirus''. In a 2014 study by Yuong-Nam Lee and colleagues and published in the journal ''Nature'', it was found that Deinocheiridae was a valid family. Lee ''et al.'' found that based on a new phylogenetic analysis including the recently discovered complete skeletons of ''Deinocheirus'', the type genus, as well as ''Garudimimus'' and ''Beishanlong'', could be placed as a successive group, with ''Beishanlong'' as the most primitive and ''Deinocheirus'' as most derived. The family Garudimimidae, named in 1981 by Rinchen Barsbold, is now a junior synonym of Deinocheiridae as the latter family includes the type genus of the former. The group existed from 115 to 69 million years ago, with ''Beishanlong'' living from 115 to 100 mya, ''Garudimi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hexing
''Hexing'' is an extinct genus of basal ornithomimosaur dinosaur known from the Early Cretaceous of northeastern China. It contains a single species, ''Hexing qingyi''. Discovery and naming In the early twenty-first century, a local farmer at Xiaobeigou in Liaoning discovered the skeleton of a small theropod. He prepared the fossil himself, trying to enhance its value by restoring damaged bones and adding fake parts. Eventually the specimen was obtained by the Geological Museum of Jilin University and more expertly prepared, during which process the added parts were again removed. In 2012, the type species ''Hexing qingyi'' was named and described by Jin Liyong, Chen Jun and Pascal Godefroit. The generic name means "like a crane" in Chinese. The specific name means "with slender wings". The holotype, JLUM-JZ07b1, was found in fluvial deposits of the lower Yixian Formation, which have a highest possible age of 139 million years and a lowest of 128 million years and thus da ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arkansaurus
''Arkansaurus'' (meaning "Arkansas lizard") is an extinct genus of ornithomimosaurian theropod dinosaur. It lived during the Albian and Aptian stages of the Early Cretaceous. The type and only species is ''Arkansaurus fridayi''. History In August 1972, Joe B. Friday, who owned a service station in Locksburg, Arkansas, noticed some vultures circling above his land. Checking his cows, he noticed that fossil bones were visible in a ditch near the road where some gravel had been removed recently for the reconstruction of Arkansas Highway 24. He removed them and for some months displayed the fossils in his station. At the time, nobody recognised them for dinosaur bones.McDonnold, Paul, 2014, "Them Dry Bones", ''Arkansas Life'', September 2014, pp 80–85 A geology professor at the University of Arkansas and former resident of the nearby town of Nashville, Doy Zachry Jr., took the bones to his colleague at the University of Arkansas, paleontologist Dr. James H. Quinn, to view. Quinn rec ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ornithomimidae
Ornithomimidae (meaning "bird-mimics") is a family of theropod dinosaurs which bore a superficial resemblance to modern ostriches. Ornithomimids were fast, omnivorous or herbivorous dinosaurs known mainly from the Late Cretaceous Period of Laurasia (now Asia and North America), though they have also been reported from the Lower Cretaceous Wonthaggi Formation of Australia. Description The skulls of ornithomimids were small, with large eyes, above relatively long and slender necks. All had toothless beaks. The fore limbs ('arms') were long and slender and bore powerful claws. The hind limbs were long and powerful, with a long foot and short, strong toes terminating in hooflike claws. Ornithomimids were probably among the fastest of all dinosaurs.Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2012) ''Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages,'Winter 2011 Appendix./ref> Like many other coelurosaurs, the ornithomimid hide was feathered rather than scaly. Biology C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gallimimus
''Gallimimus'' ( ) is a genus of theropod dinosaur that lived in what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period, about seventy million years ago (mya). Several fossils in various stages of growth were discovered by Polish-Mongolian expeditions in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia during the 1960s; a large skeleton discovered in this region was made the holotype specimen of the new genus and species ''Gallimimus bullatus'' in 1972. The generic name means "chicken mimic", referring to the similarities between its neck vertebrae and those of the Galliformes. The specific name is derived from '' bulla'', a golden capsule worn by Roman youth, in reference to a bulbous structure at the base of the skull of ''Gallimimus''. At the time it was named, the fossils of ''Gallimimus'' represented the most complete and best preserved ornithomimid ("ostrich dinosaur") material yet discovered, and the genus remains one of the best known members of the group. ''Gallimimus'' is the largest know ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pelecanimimus
''Pelecanimimus'' (meaning "pelican mimic") is an extinct genus of basal ("primitive") ornithomimosaurian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of Spain. It is notable for possessing more teeth than any other member of the Ornithomimosauria (or any other theropod), most of which were toothless. Discovery and naming In July 1993 Armando Díaz Romeral discovered a theropod skeleton at the ''Las Hoyas Unit 3'' site. In 1994 this was named and described by Bernardino Pérez Pérez-Moreno, José Luis Sanz, Angela Buscalioni, José Moratalla, Francisco Ortega and Diego Rasskin-Gutman as a new species: ''Pelecanimimus polyodon''. The generic name is derived from Latin ''pelecanus'', "pelican", and ''mimus'', "mimic", in reference to the long snout and throat pouch. The specific name is a reference to the large number of teeth possessed by this theropod and is derived from Greek πολύς ('), "many" and ὀδούς (') "tooth". The holotype specimen, LH 7777, part of the Las ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Valdoraptor
''Valdoraptor'' (meaning "Wealden plunderer") is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous. Its fossils were found in England. It is known only from bones of the feet. The holotype, BMNH R2559 (incorrectly given by Owen as BMNH R2556), was found near Cuckfield in layers of the Tunbridge Wells Sand Formation dating from the late Valanginian. The specimen is damaged lacking parts of the upper and lower ends. It has a conserved length of and an estimated length of . This genus is paleontologically significant for being the first ornithomimosaur specimen known from England and represents the earliest record of ornithomimosaurs. Discovery In 1858 Richard Owen referred a fossil consisting of a set of three metatarsals, foot bones, part of the collection of the British Museum of Natural History, to the herbivorous dinosaur genus ''Hylaeosaurus'' because of its size and bone texture. Owen had a lithograph made of the bones that gave a mirrored image: although ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Thecocoelurus
''Thecocoelurus'' is a nomen dubium, dubious genus of theropod dinosaur from the early Cretaceous period of England. The phylogenetic placement of this genus is uncertain, and it has been referred to an oviraptosaur, an ornithomimosaur, or a therizinosaur by different researchers throughout its history. Discovery and naming ''Thecocoelurus'' is known only from half of a single neck, cervical vertebra, discovered by the Rev. William Darwin Fox on the Isle of Wight during the 19th century. After his death the ''Fox Collection'' was acquired by the British Museum of Natural History. William Davies (palaeontologist), William Davies was the first to notice the specimen and assumed a close affinity with ''Coelurus''. It was described by Harry Govier Seeley in 1888. Seeley named the fossil ''Thecospondylus daviesi'', referring it to a genus he had named earlier for the incomplete cast of a sacrum. However, in 1901 Baron Franz Nopcsa renamed it ''Coelurus daviesi''. In 1923 Friedrich vo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nqwebasaurus
''Nqwebasaurus'' (; anglicized as or ) is a basal coelurosaur and is the basal-most member of the coelurosaurian clade Ornithomimosauria from the Early Cretaceous of South Africa. The name ''Nqwebasaurus'' is derived from the Xhosa word "Nqweba" which is the local name for the Kirkwood district, and "thwazi" is ancient Xhosa for "fast runner". Currently it is the oldest coelurosaur in Africa and shows that basal coelurosaurian dinosaurs inhabited Gondwana 50 million years earlier than previously thought. The type specimen of ''Nqwebasaurus'' was discovered by William J. de Klerk who is affiliated with the Albany Museum in Grahamstown. It is the only fossil of its species found to date and was found in the Kirkwood Formation of the Uitenhage Group. ''Nqwebasaurus'' has the unofficial nickname "Kirky", due to being found in the Kirkwood. History of discovery ''Nqwebasaurus'' was first discovered by William J. de Klerk and Callum Ross in July 1996 during a joint expedition le ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nedcolbertia
''Nedcolbertia'' is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of North America. Discovery and naming Three skeletons of a theropod were discovered in 1993 by Christopher Whittle near Cisco in the basal Yellow Cat Member of the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah, dating to the Valanginian. These were subsequently studied and reported in 1995 by Kirkland, Britt, Madsen and Burge.J. I. Kirkland, C. H. Whittle, B. B. Britt, S. Madsen and D. Burge. A Small Theropod from the Basal Cedar Mountain Formation (Lower Cretaceous, Barremian) of Eastern Utah. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 15(3), 39A (1995). Though in 1996 it had been announced that the taxon would be named "Nedcolbertia whittlei", in 1998 it was actually described and named by Kirkland, Whittle, Britt, Madsen and Burge as the type species ''Nedcolbertia justinhofmanni''. The generic name honours the American palaeontologist Edwin Harris Colbert, known as "Ned" to his friends. The specific name honou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
