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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 (geology), Period of Laurasia (now Asia, Europe and North America), as well as possibly Africa. 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, w ... [...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 claw ... [...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] |
Kinnareemimus
''Kinnareemimus'' (, meaning "Kinnara#Thailand, Kinnaree mimic", after a figure from Thai folklore) is an extinct genus of ornithomimosaurian theropod dinosaur that was discovered in the Early Cretaceous Sao Khua Formation in what is now Thailand. The genus contains only the type species, ''K. khonkaenensis''. The specific epithet is after Khon Kaen Province, which is in northeastern Thailand, where the remains of the animal were discovered. Discovery and naming Ornithomimosaur body fossils and ichnofossils were reported in Thailand's Khorat Plateau as early as 1997 in a publication by Eric Buffetaut and colleagues. At the time, only two dinosaur genera, ''Siamotyrannus'' and ''Phuwiangosaurus'' had been named from the country. Their report included a drawing of the metatarsals of an ornithomimosaur which had been uncovered at a locality called "Phu Wiang 5". These metatarsals clearly showed the derived arctometatasalian condition, similar to the ornithomimosaurs known from ... [...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] |
Harpymimus
''Harpymimus'' is a basal ornithomimosaurian theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period (geology), Period of what is now Mongolia. Unlike later, more derived ornithomimosaurs, ''Harpymimus'' still possessed teeth, although they appear to have been restricted to the dentary of the lower jaw. Discovery and naming In 1981, a Soviet-Mongolian expedition uncovered a theropod skeleton in the Gobi Desert. In 1984 this was named and shortly described by Rinchen Barsbold and Altangerel Perle as the Type species, type and only species of the new genus ''Harpymimus'': ''Harpymimus okladnikovi''. The generic name ''Harpymimus'' is a reference to the fearsome Harpy of Greek mythology and derived from Greek ἅρπυια (''harpyia''), "Harpy", and μῖμος (''mimos''), "mimic". The specific name (zoology), specific name honours the late Soviet archeologist Alexey Pavlovich Okladnikov. The holotype specimen IGM 100/29 (Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia) consists ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Theropod
Theropoda (; from ancient Greek , (''therion'') "wild beast"; , (''pous, podos'') "foot"">wiktionary:ποδός"> (''pous, podos'') "foot" is one of the three major groups (clades) of dinosaurs, alongside Ornithischia and Sauropodomorpha. Theropods, both extant and extinct, are characterized by hollow bones and three toes and claws on each limb. They are generally classed as a group of saurischian dinosaurs, placing them closer to sauropodomorphs than to ornithischians. They were ancestrally carnivorous, although a number of theropod groups evolved to become herbivores and omnivores. Members of the subgroup Coelurosauria and possibly some other or all theropods were covered in feathers. In the Jurassic, birds evolved from small specialized coelurosaurian theropods, and are currently represented by about 11,000 living species, making theropods the only group of dinosaurs alive today. Theropods first appeared during the Carnian age of the late Triassic period ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haplocheirus
''Haplocheirus'' (, meaning "simple hand") is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaur from the Middle Jurassic Shishugou Formation of Xinjiang in China. It is generally considered to be an alvarezsauroid, although some researchers have questioned this assignment. The genus contains a single species, ''H. sollers'', which is known from a mostly complete skeleton including the skull. The quality of the preservation in the only known specimen of ''Haplocheirus'' is near-perfect and preserves the animal in three dimensions. This makes ''Haplocheirus'' one of the most well-known Jurassic coelurosaurs from anywhere in the world. The specimen has been relatively well-studied in comparison with other comparable taxa like '' Zuolong'' or '' Guanlong'', which has allowed researchers to gain insights into the evolution of maniraptorans as well as the sensory capabilities, diet, and ontogeny of primitive coelurosaurs. Discovery The type and only specimen of ''Haplocheirus'' was given t ... [...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 Lockesburg, 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 ... [...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 metatarsus, 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 lithography, lithograph made of the bones that gave a mir ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
