Ulughbegsaurus

U-lugh-beg-sor-us.
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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

Ulughbegsaurus ‭(‬Ulugh Beg's lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

U-lugh-beg-sor-us.

Named By

Kohei Tanaka,‭ ‬Otabek Ulugbek Ogli Anvarov,‭ ‬Darla K.‭ ‬Zelenitsky,‭ ‬Akhmadjon Shayakubovich Ahmedshaev,‭ & ‬Yoshitsugu Kobayashi‭ ‬-‭ ‬2021.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Carcharodontosauria.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

U.‭ ‬uzbekistanensis‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of fossil remains.‭ ‬Comparison of holotype fossil to other carcharodontosaurid genera suggests a skull size of about‭ ‬90‭ ‬centimetres.‭ ‬Body length of holotype individual about‭ ‬7.5‭ ‬to‭ ‬8‭ ‬meters.

Known locations

Uzbekistan‭ ‬-‭ ‬Bissekty Formation.

Time Period

Turonian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Holotype a partial left maxilla.‭ ‬Further skull bones and teeth referred to the genus.

In Depth

       Ulughbegsaurus is a genus of carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in Central Asia during the early stages‭ ‬of the Late Cretaceous,‭ ‬specifically the Turonian period.‭ ‬The carcharodontosaurid theropod dinosaurs were apex predators that rose to prominence during the early Cretaceous,‭ ‬however there is plenty of fossil evidence to show that as a group they continued to be key predators well into the early stages of the late cretaceous,‭ ‬especially in South America,‭ ‬but also now it seems central Asia as well.

       Ulughbegsaurus was named from a partial maxilla,‭ ‬the tooth bearing bone of the upper jaw.‭ ‬Like other carcharodontosaurid dinosaurs,‭ ‬Ulughbegsaurus would have had blade like teeth specifically adapted for slicing flesh as opposed to crunching through bone.‭ ‬There are several other kinds of dinosaurs known from the same fossil formation as Ulughbegsaurus,‭ ‬though sauropod and large‭ ‬ornithopod/hadrosauroid dinosaurs may have been the easiest prey.

       Ulughbegsaurus is named after Mīrzā Muhammad Tāraghay bin Shāhrukh who is more popularly known around the world as Ulugh Beg,‭ ‬who was once a Sultan of the Timurid Empire,‭ ‬noted for his work in mathematics and astronomy.‭ ‬The type species name of Ulughbegsaurus,‭ ‘‬uzbekistanensis‭’‬,‭ ‬simply means‭ ‘‬from Uzbekistan‭’‬. Further reading

-‭ ‬A new carcharodontosaurian theropod dinosaur occupies apex predator niche in the early Late Cretaceous of Uzbekistan.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Royal Society Open Science.‭ ‬8‭ (‬9‭)‬:‭ ‬Article ID‭ ‬210923‭ ‬-‭ ‬Kohei Tanaka,‭ ‬Otabek Ulugbek Ogli Anvarov,‭ ‬Darla K.‭ ‬Zelenitsky,‭ ‬Akhmadjon Shayakubovich Ahmedshaev,‭ & ‬Yoshitsugu Kobayashi‭ ‬-‭ ‬2021.

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