Shuvuuia
Name: Shuvuuia
(bird).
Phonetic: Shu-vu-e-ah.
Named By: L. M. Chiappe, M. A. Norell
& J. M. Clark - 1998.
Classification: Chordata, Reptilia, Dinosauria,
Saurischia, Theropoda, Alvarezsauridae, Parvicursorinae,
Mononykini.
Species: S. deserti (type).
Diet: Insectivore?
Size: About 60 centimetres long.
Known locations: Mongolia - Djadochta Formation.
Time period: Campanian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Almost complete with feather
impressions. Several individuals known.
At
just over half a meter in length, Shuvuuia is not
just one of the
smallest alvarezsaurs,
it is among the smallest known dinosaurs.
It is thanks to this small size that the Shuvuuia
holotype was so well
preserved because it could be buried much more quickly than a larger
dinosaur (larger dinosaurs are only very rarely preserved
complete). Like relatives, Shuvuuia had an
enlarged thumb spike,
but also retained two other digits that were greatly reduced.
Shuvuuia is also noteworthy in that the upper
jaws (the forward
portion of the skull), can independently flex from the braincase
(rear portion of the skull). This adaptation may have been to help
Shuvuuia reach into tight corners to pluck out prey
like insects and
grubs.
It
seems that Shuvuuia likely had a covering of
primitive hair-like
feathers covering the body. This is because the type specimen of
Shuvuuia was preserved with hollow structures
similar to feather rachis
surrounding the bones of the body. These structures have been
bio-chemically treated and revealed to contain beta-keratin, but no
alpha keratin, which means that the correct boxes can be ticked to
reveal that these were feathers.
Another
alavarezsaur from the same formation as Shuvuuia is
named Kol.
Potential predatory threats to Shuvuuia might
include dromaeosaurids
such as Tsaagan,
Velociraptor,
Saurornithoides
and Mahakala,
as
well as troodontids
Byronosaurus
and Gobivenator.
Shuvuuia however
were probably too small to have been bothered by larges predators such
as tyrannosaurs
like Alectrosaurus.
Further reading
- The skull of a relative of the stem-group bird Mononykus.
-
Nature, 392(6673): 275-278. - L. M. Chiappe, M.
A. Norell & J. M. Clark - 1998.
- Beta-keratin specific immunological reactivity in feather-like
structures of the Cretaceous alvarezsaurid, Shuvuuia deserti.
-
Journal of Experimental Zoology (Mol Dev Evol), 285: 146-157.
- M. H. Schweitzer, J.A. Watt, R. Avci, L. Knapp,
L. Chiappe, M. Norell & M. Marshall - 1999.
- A new specimen of Shuvuuia deserti Chiappe et
al., 1998, from
the Mongolian Late Cretaceous with a discussion of the relationships of
alvarezsaurids to other theropod dinosaurs. - Contributions in
Science (Los Angeles), 494: 1-18. - S. Suzuki, L.
Chiappe, G. Dyke, M. Watabe, R. Barsbold & K.
Tsogtbaatar - 2002.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Random favourites
 |
 |
 |
 |