Harenadraco Prima It is the first species of troodontid dinosaur to be discovered in the Late Cretaceous Barungoyot Formation of Mongolia.
Harenadraco Prima It lived in what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period, 72 to 71 million years ago.
This new species is TroodontidaeA group of bird-like theropod dinosaurs that lived from the Late Jurassic to the Late Cretaceous periods.
“Troodontids are a diverse group of theropod dinosaurs commonly characterized by large eye sockets, long hind limbs with asymmetrical metatarsals, enlarged claw bones in the second toe, and many bird-like features,” said paleontologist Seongjin Lee of Seoul National University and his colleagues.
“They have been found in Late Jurassic to Late Cretaceous deposits in Asia and North America.”
Harenadraco Prima It was a small troodontid, about 1 metre (3.3 feet) long.
“Harenadraco Prima Like other troodontids, it was small and lightweight, but its tarsometatarsus was extremely thin. Phyllovenator “Among the zoonotic non-avian maniraptorans,” the paleontologists said.
“It also suggests a potentially adaptive high degree of mobility. Harenadraco Prima “It fits into an environment where potential prey, like mammals, and predators, like Eudromaeosaurus, are likely to be agile.”
Harenadraco PrimaThe incomplete skeleton of consists mainly of elements of the left hind limb, Barungoyot Formation In Hermin Tsav, Umnogovi Province, Mongolia.
“The Upper Cretaceous strata of the Gobi Desert are a rich source of many troodontid species, particularly the Nemegt and Djadokta Formations in the Nemegt Basin in Mongolia, and the Ulansuhai Formation in the Bayan Mandakh in China,” the researchers said.
“From the former, eight species of troodontids are now known.”
“However, the Barungoyot Formation is a puzzling exception, as no troodontids have been found in it, even though it is one of the major sedimentary formations in the Nemegt Basin and is interpreted as intermediate in age and environment between the Djadokta and Nemegt formations.”
“The faunal compositions of the Djadokta and Barungoyot Formations are so similar that the absence of troodontids in the latter is even more puzzling.”
Discovery Harenadraco Prima The presence of troodontids was confirmed in all three formations of the Nemegt Basin.
“The discovery Harenadraco Prima“It becomes clear that the ‘gaps’ in the troodontid record were a sampling artifact,” the scientists concluded.
“The fragile nature of the holotype Harenadraco Prima This is further evidence of this.”
“The presence of Harenadraco Prima “The discovery of the Barungoyot Formation also proves that troodontids in the Nemegt Basin were diverse enough to adapt to a variety of environments.”
Team work Published in Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology.
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Lee Seong-jin othersThe first Troodontidae (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous Barungoyot Formation in Mongolia. Journal of Vertebrate PaleontologyPublished online July 15, 2024; doi: 10.1080/02724634.2024.2364746
Source: www.sci.news
