Nemegtomaia

In Depth        Nemegtomaia was originally named Nemegtia in‭ ‬2004,‭ ‬but it was soon realised that this name had already been used to name another animal.‭ ‬So in‭ ‬2005‭ ‬the describers renamed it Nemegtomaia to avoid confusion.‭ ‬Nemegtomaia is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in what is now Mongolia during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬At … Read more

Yaverlandia

In Depth        When initially described,‭ ‬the dinosaur Yaverlandia was thought to be a pachycephalosaur,‭ ‬but a later study in‭ ‬2008‭ (‬Naish‭ & ‬Martill‭) ‬clarified the genus as representing a theropod dinosaur.‭ Further Reading -‭ ‬A primitive dome-headed dinosaur‭ (‬Ornithischia:‭ ‬Pachycephalosauridae‭) ‬from the Lower Cretaceous of England and the function of the dome of pachycephalosaurids.‭ ‬-‭ … Read more

Linhevenator

In Depth        Although weathered and not entirely complete,‭ ‬the holotype of Linhevenator is still one of the most complete Late Cretaceous troodontid individuals so far known.‭ ‬Linhevenator is towards the larger end of the known troodontid size range,‭ ‬but its main unique features are its small arms,‭ ‬each with a very robust humerus.‭ ‬This may … Read more

Nothronychus

In Depth        First described in‭ ‬2001,‭ ‬Nothronychus was the first genus of therizinosaurid dinosaur to be discovered in North America‭ (‬the state of New Mexico in the USA‭)‬,‭ ‬with other earlier notable discoveries such as Beipiaosaurus and Therizinosaurus being discovered in China and Mongolia.‭ ‬However the first fossil of Nothronychus called an ischium‭ (‬the rear … Read more

Ornitholestes

ornitholestes

In Depth        An interesting fact about Ornitholestes is that since it was first discovered in July of‭ ‬1900,‭ ‬it was the first theropod dinosaur to be discovered in the twentieth century.‭ ‬Since this time,‭ ‬Ornitholestes has been regularly depicted in books,‭ ‬art and even dinosaur documentaries such as the BBC series Walking With Dinosaurs.‭ ‬However,‭ … Read more

Machairasaurus

In Depth        Machairasaurus is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in China during the late Cretaceous.‭ ‬Machairasaurus was so named from the claws on its fingers which are curved like scimitar swords.‭ ‬It is speculated that these claws may have allowed Machairasaurus to pull and manipulate plant branches or possibly even dig out roots.‭ … Read more

Neuquenraptor

In Depth        Neuquenraptor was very nearly the first dromaeosaurid dinosaur to be discovered on the South American continent.‭ ‬First discovered in‭ ‬1996,‭ ‬the holotype specimen was unofficially named Araucanoraptor argentinus in‭ ‬1997.‭ ‬Also in‭ ‬1997‭ ‬another dromaeosaurid genus named Unenlagia was named from the same formation,‭ ‬and because this genus had a proper description,‭ ‬Unenlagia … Read more

Albinykus

In Depth        A small alvarezsaur,‭ ‬one of the notable things about Albinykus is that even though it is only known by its hind quarters,‭ ‬these were found in a crouching position.‭ ‬Oviraptosaurs and troodonts are also known to have crouched,‭ ‬so the discovery that alvarezsaurs like Albinykus could also enter this position indicates that crouching … Read more

Philovenator

In Depth        Originally attributed as juvenile Saurornithoides mongoliensis,‭ ‬the partial left hind limb of this troodontid was firmly established as being of a different genus thanks to an osteohistological analysis of the bone.‭ ‬This revealed that the fossils were closer to Linhevenator tani,‭ ‬yet the team studying the remains concluded that while similar,‭ ‬the remains … Read more