Ovoo

Oh-vu.
Published on

Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Ovoo ‭(‬maned after the cairns‭ (‬rock piles‭) ‬that mark trails in Mongolia‭)‬.

Phonetic

Oh-vu.

Named By

M.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Norell,‭ ‬K.-Q.‭ ‬Gao‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬Conrad‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Squamata,‭ ‬Varanidae.

Diet

Carnivore/Insectivore.

Species

O.‭ ‬gurvel‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of fossil remains.

Known locations

Mongolia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Djadokhta Formation.

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial skull.

In Depth

       Although only known from a partial skull,‭ ‬Ovoo represents not only one of the smallest monitor lizards to ever live,‭ ‬but also one of the earliest appearances of a monitor lizard.‭ ‬Unfortunately because Ovoo is only known from an incomplete skull,‭ ‬it is very difficult to estimate the full body size of Ovoo because body proportions and lengths amongst different monitor lizards can vary a lot.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A New Platynotan Lizard‭ (‬Diapsida:‭ ‬Squamata‭) ‬from the Late Cretaceous Gobi Desert‭ (‬�mn�gov‭)‬,‭ ‬Mongolia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬American Museum Novitates‭ (‬3605‭)‬1-22.‭ ‬-‭ ‬M.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Norell,‭ ‬K.-Q.‭ ‬Gao‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬Conrad‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.

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