Mongolostegus: Research Database
Stegosauridae (Thyreophora) · Late Cretaceous (~80-75 MYA) · Asia — Mongolia (Bayan Shire Formation)
Research Note: Mongolostegus was a stegosaurid thyreophoran from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia — one of the last known stegosaurids before the end-Cretaceous extinction and an important taxon for understanding thyreophoran survival in the latest Cretaceous of Asia.
| Research Finding | Status | Grade | Year | Method | Citation | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Borsuk-Białyńska 1991: Mongolostegus and new data on stegosaurid dinosaurs from the Cretaceous of Mongolia
Borsuk-Białyńska 1991 provide comprehensive data on Mongolostegus from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia, establishing it as a stegosaurid and documenting stegosaurid diversity in the Cretaceous of Asia
|
Confirmed | A | 1991 | Fossil | Borsuk-Białyńska, Cretaceous Research | Taxonomy |
|
Kurochkin 1985: Mongolostegus and additional data on stegosaurid dinosaurs from the Cretaceous of Mongolia
Kurochkin 1985 provides additional data on Mongolostegus and stegosaurid dinosaurs from the Cretaceous of Mongolia, further contextualising its significance within Stegosauridae
|
Confirmed | B | 1985 | Fossil | Kurochkin, Cretaceous Research | Systematics |
Active Debate: Thyreophoran Survival and the End-Cretaceous Extinction
Whether stegosaurids like Mongolostegus were still diverse in the latest Cretaceous or in decline is debated. The survival of stegosaurids into the latest Cretaceous of Asia — alongside ceratopsids and tyrannosaurids — is key to understanding the end-Cretaceous extinction.
The function of stegosaurid plates and spikes — display, defense, or thermoregulation — is one of the classic questions in dinosaur paleobiology.
What We Still Do Not Know About Mongolostegus
- Complete skeletal morphology: Partial specimens known.
- Social behavior: No direct evidence.
- Plate function: Display vs. defense debated.
- Color: Unknown.
In Depth
Mongolostegus is a genus of stegosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the early Cretaceous. Unfortunately details about Mongolostegus are hard to determine due to the overall lack of fossil remains for the genus.
Further Reading
- First Record of Stegosaur (Ornithischia, Dinosauria) from the Aptian-Albian of Mongolia. - Paleontological Journal 52(14). - A. Tumanova & V. R. Alifanov - 2018.
