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Information about Gigantoraptor

Gigantoraptor
Fossil range: Late Cretaceous

Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Chordata
Class:Sauropsida
Superorder:Dinosauria
Order:Saurischia
Suborder:Theropoda
Family:Oviraptoridae
Genus:Gigantoraptor
Xu et al., 2007
Species


G. erlianensis Xu et al., 2007 (type)


Gigantoraptor is a genus of giant oviraptorosaurian dinosaur that lived 85 million years ago during the late Cretaceous Period.[1] It was discovered in 2005 in the Iren Dabasu Formation, Erlian basin, in Inner Mongolia. Xu et al. found that it shared a common ancestor with and belonged to the same family as Oviraptor, but in comparison, Gigantoraptor was much larger, approximately 35 times larger than its likely close relative, Caudipteryx.[2] At 8 metres (26 ft) long and weighing about 1.4 tonnes it is nearly 3 times as long and much heavier than the largest oviraptorosaur hitherto known, Citipati.

Enlarge picture
Gigantoraptor size comparison diagram
Its similarity to birds includes anatomical features such as a beak instead of toothed jaws. No direct evidence of feathers was preserved with the skeleton, but the authors inferred their presence based on the fact that Gigantoraptor was a member of the Oviraptorosauria, a group known to include many feathered species. Most unequivocal feathered dinosaurs found to date are small; however, evidence suggests that other large oviraptorids such as Citipati, as well as therizinosaurs such as Beipiaosaurus, almost certainly had feathers as well.[3]

The diet of this animal is a mystery. Although some oviraptorosaurs such as Incisivosaurus are thought to have been mostly herbivorous, Gigantoraptor had hind legs with proportions that allowed for fast movement (it was probably more nimble than the ponderous Tyrannosaurus), and large claws, a combination that is not usually found in herbivores of this size.

The only known specimen is the incomplete and disassociated remains of a single individual that died at an estimated 11 years of age (determined from growth lines in one of the leg bones), and therefore possibly not full-grown.[1] Its discovery was documented on film: Xu Xing reenacted the discovery of a sauropod for a Japanese documentary. As he wiped the bone clean, he realized it was not from a sauropod, but from an unidentifiable theropod in the size class of Albertosaurus. He then stopped the filming to secure the serendipitous find.

References

1. ^ Xu, X., Tan, Q., Wang, J., Zhao, X., and Tan, L. (2007). "A gigantic bird-like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of China." Nature, 447: 844-847.
2. ^ Remains of giant bird-like dinosaur unveiled CBC
3. ^ Paul, G.S. (2002). Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

External links

Late Cretaceous (100mya - 65mya) refers to the second half of the Cretaceous Period, named after the famous white chalk cliffs of southern England, which date from this time. Rocks deposited during the Late Cretaceous Period are referred to as the Upper Cretaceous Series.
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Scientific classification or biological classification is a method by which biologists group and categorize species of organisms. Scientific classification also can be called scientific taxonomy, but should be distinguished from folk taxonomy, which lacks scientific basis.
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Chordata
Bateson, 1885

Typical Classes

See below

Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates.
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Sauropsida*
Goodrich, 1916

Subclasses
  • Anapsida
  • Diapsida
Synonyms
  • Reptilia Laurenti, 1768
Reptiles are tetrapods and amniotes, animals whose embryos are surrounded by an amniotic membrane, and members of the class
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Dinosauria *
Owen, 1842

Orders & Suborders
  • Ornithischia
  • Cerapoda
  • Thyreophora
  • Saurischia

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Saurischia
Seeley, 1887

Suborders
  • Theropoda
  • Sauropodomorpha


Saurischia (from the Greek sauros (σαυρος) meaning 'lizard' and ischion (
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Theropoda
Marsh, 1881

Infraorders
  • Carnosauria
  • Ceratosauria
  • Deinonychosauria
  • Ornithomimosauria
  • Oviraptorosauria


Theropods ('beast feet') are a group of bipedal saurischian dinosaurs.
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Oviraptoridae
Barsbold, 1976

Genera

See text

Oviraptoridae is a group of bird-like maniraptoran dinosaurs. They are currently known from Mongolia and China, although there is an unpublished report from Montana.
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Xu Xing (Simplified Chinese: 徐星; Pinyin: Xu Xing) is a famed Chinese paleontologist who has named many dinosaurs, including the new Jurassic Ceratopsian Yinlong
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species is one of the basic units of biological classification. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring.
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In biology, a type is that which fixes a name to a taxon. Depending on the nomenclature code which is applied to the organism in question, a type may be a specimen, culture, illustration, description or taxon.
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genus (plural: genera) is part of the Latinized name for an organism. It is a name which reflects the classification of the organism by grouping it with other closely similar organisms.
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Oviraptorosauria
Barsbold, 1976

Families
  • Avimimidae
  • Caudipteridae
  • Caenagnathidae
  • Oviraptoridae


Oviraptorosaurs
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Dinosauria *
Owen, 1842

Orders & Suborders
  • Ornithischia
  • Cerapoda
  • Thyreophora
  • Saurischia

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The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i.e. from 145.5 ± 4.0 million years ago (Ma)) to the beginning of the Paleocene epoch of the Tertiary Period (about 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma).
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Erenhot or Erlian or Ereen (zh: 二连浩特; Pinyin: Èrliánhàotè, mn: Эрээн or Эрээн хот) is a city located in the Gobi Desert, in the Xilin Gol league of the Inner
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Origin of name Inner Mongolia is closer than Outer Mongolia to China proper Administration type Autonomous region
Capital Hohhot
Largest city Baotou
CPC Ctte Secretary Chu Bo 储?
Chairman Yang Jing 杨?

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Oviraptor
Osborn, 1924

Species

O. philoceratops Osborn, 1924 (type)

Oviraptor is a genus of small Mongolian theropod dinosaur, first discovered by legendary paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, and first described by
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Caudipteridae
Zhou & Wang, 2000

Genus: Caudipteryx
Ji et al., 1998

Species
  • C. zoui (type)
  • C.

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Citipati
Clark, Norell, & Barsbold, 2001

Species
  • C. osmolskae (type)
    Clark, Norell, & Barsbold, 2001
  • C. sp
    vide Clark, Norell, & Barsbold, 2001
Citipati
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Aves
Linnaeus, 1758

Orders

About two dozen - see section below

Birds (class Aves) are bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying vertebrate animals.
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The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which, in addition to eating, is used for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, probing for food, courtship, and feeding their young.
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Teeth (singular, tooth) are structures found in the jaws (or mouths) of many vertebrates that are used to tear, scrape, and chew food. Some animals, particularly carnivores, also use teeth for hunting or defense. The roots of teeth are covered by gums.
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Feathers are one of the epidermal growths that form the distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on birds. They are the outstanding characteristic that distinguishes the Class Aves from all other living groups. Other Theropoda also had feathers (see Feathered dinosaurs).
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Oviraptorosauria
Barsbold, 1976

Families
  • Avimimidae
  • Caudipteridae
  • Caenagnathidae
  • Oviraptoridae


Oviraptorosaurs
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some dinosaurs had feathers. Fossils of Archaeopteryx include well-preserved feathers, but it was not until the early 1990s that clearly nonavian dinosaur fossils were discovered with preserved feathers.
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Therizinosauroidea
Maleev, 1954

Families

Alxasauridae
Therizinosauridae

Therizinosaurs (or Segnosaurs) were theropod dinosaurs and members of the clade Therizinosauroidea.
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Beipiaosaurus
Xu, Tang & Wang, 1999

Species

B. inexpectus (type)

Beipiaosaurus is a genus of therizinosauroid theropod dinosaur.
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Incisivosaurus

Species: I. gauthieri

Binomial name
Incisivosaurus gauthieri
Xu et al.
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