Oviraptor Fossil range: Late Cretaceous
Profile of Oviraptor philoceratops.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Sauropsida Superorder: Dinosauria Order: Saurischia Suborder: Theropoda Family: Oviraptoridae Genus: Oviraptor Osborn, 1924
Species
O. philoceratops Osborn, 1924 (type) Geography of the US in the Late Cretaceous Period 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. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes See below Chordates (phylum Chordata) are a group of animals that includes the vertebrates, together with several closely related invertebrates. ... Clades Subclass Anapsida Subclass Diapsida Infraclass Lepidosauromorpha Infraclass Archosauromorpha Sauropsids are a diverse group of mostly egg-laying vertebrate animals. ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... Groups Sauropodomorpha    Saturnalia    Prosauropoda    Sauropoda Theropoda    Eoraptor    Herrerasauridae    Ceratosauria    Tetanurae       Aves(extant) Saurischians (from the Greek Saurischia meaning lizard hip) are one of the two orders/branches of dinosaurs. ... Subdivisions ?Eoraptor Herrerasauria Coelophysoidea Ceratosauria Cryolophosaurus Spinosauridae Carnosauria Coelurosauria Theropods (beast foot) are a group of bipedal saurischian dinosaurs. ... Henry Fairfield Osborn (August 8, 1857 — November 6, 1935) was an American paleontologist and geologist. ... For other uses, see Species (disambiguation). ... In zoological nomenclature, a type is a specimen or a taxon. ...

Oviraptor is a genus of small Mongolian theropod dinosaur, first discovered by legendary paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews, and first described by Henry Fairfield Osborn, in 1924. Its name is Latin for 'egg seizer', referring to the fact that the first fossil specimen was discovered atop a pile of what were thought to be Protoceratops eggs, and the specific name philoceratops means "lover of ceratopsians", also given as a result of this find. In his 1924 paper, Osborn explained that the name was given due to the close proximity of the skull of Oviraptor to the nest (it was separated from the eggs by only four inches of sand). However, Osborn also suggested that the name Oviraptor "may entirely mislead us as to its feeding habits and belie its character."^[1] In the 1990s, the discovery of nesting oviraptorids like Citipati proved that Osborn was correct in his caution regarding the name. These finds showed that the eggs in question probably belonged to Oviraptor itself, and that the specimen was actually brooding its eggs. For other uses, see Genus (disambiguation). ... Subdivisions ?Eoraptor Herrerasauria Coelophysoidea Ceratosauria Cryolophosaurus Spinosauridae Carnosauria Coelurosauria Theropods (beast foot) are a group of bipedal saurischian dinosaurs. ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ... A paleontologist carefully chips rock from a column of dinosaur vertebrae. ... Roy Chapman Andrews (January 26, 1884–March 11, 1960) was an American explorer, adventurer and naturalist who became the director of the American Museum of Natural History, primarily known for leading a series of expeditions through the fragmented China of the early 20th century into the Gobi Desert and Mongolia. ... Henry Fairfield Osborn (August 8, 1857 — November 6, 1935) was an American paleontologist and geologist. ... For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Protoceratops is a sheep-sized, herbivorous ceratopsian dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. ... In most birds and reptiles, an egg (Latin ovum) is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. ... Citipati was a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. ...

Oviraptor lived in the late Cretaceous Period, during the Santonian stage, and may have lived in an earlier stage called the Campanian, between 80 to 70 million years ago; it comes almost exclusively from the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia, as well as the northeast region of the Neimongol Autonomous Region of China, in an area called Bayan Mandahu. // The Cretaceous Period is one of the major divisions of the geologic timescale, reaching from the end of the Jurassic Period (i. ... The Santonian is a stage of the Late Cretaceous Epoch. ... The Campanian is a stage on the geologic time scale occuring from 83. ... The Djadochta Formation (also sometimes written Djadokhta) is situated in central Asia (Gobi Desert) and dates from the Late Cretaceous Period. ...

Description

Oviraptor was one of the most bird-like of the non-avian dinosaurs. Its rib cage, in particular, displayed several features that are typical of birds, including a set of processes on each rib that would have kept the rib cage rigid. A relative of Oviraptor called Nomingia was found with a pygostyle, which is a set of fused vertebrae that would later help support the tail feathers of birds. Skin impressions from more primitive oviraptorosaurs, like Caudipteryx and Protarchaeopteryx, clearly show an extensive covering of feathers on the body, feathered wings and feathered tail fans. A tail fan is also indicated by the presence of a pygostyle in Nomingia, suggesting that this feature was widespread among oviraptorosaurs. Additionally, the nesting position of the brooding Citipati specimens implies the use of feathered wings to cover the eggs.^[2] Given the close anatomical similarity between these species and Oviraptor, it is highly likely that Oviraptor had feathers as well. Binomial name Nomingia gobiensis Barsbold et al. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into bird skeleton. ... Caudipteryx was a genus of small, peacock-sized Early Cretaceous theropods (members of Theropoda, the group of typically carnivorous dinosaurs that lived about 125 million years ago). ... Protarchaeopteryx robustus is a turkey-sized feathered dinosaur from China. ... Binomial name Nomingia gobiensis Barsbold et al. ... Citipati was a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. ...

Oviraptor is traditionally depicted with a distinctive crest, similar to that of the cassowary. However, re-examination of several oviraptorids show that this well-known, tall-crested species may actually belong to the genus Citipati, a relative of Oviraptor.^[3] It is likely that Oviraptor did have a crest, but its exact size and shape are unknown due to crushing in the skull specimens. Species Casuarius casuarius Casuarius unappendiculatus Casuarius bennetti Cassowaries (genus Casuarius) are very large flightless birds native to the tropical forests of New Guinea and northeastern Australia. ... Citipati was a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. ...

Taxonomy

Oviraptor was originally allied with the ornithomimids by Osborn due to its toothless beak. Osborn also found similarities with Chirostenotes, which is still considered a close relative of Oviraptor.^[1] In 1976, Barsbold erected a new family to contain Oviraptor and its close kin, making Oviraptor the type genus of the Oviraptoridae.^[4] While the original specimens of Oviraptor were poorly preserved, especially the crushed and deformed skull, new and more complete oviraptorid specimens were assigned to the genus in the 1980s. One such specimen, IGN 100/42, is perhaps the most famous of these, owing to its well-preserved complete skull and large size. This specimen came to represent Oviraptor in most popular depictions and in scientific studies of oviraptorids.^[5] However, this specimen, with its distinctive tall, cassowary-like crest, was re-examined by the scientists who described the nesting oviraptorids, and found to resemble them more closely than the original specimens of Oviraptor. For this reason, they removed IGN 100/42 from the genus Oviraptor, provisionally re-classifying it as a species of Citipati.^[3] Genera Anserimimus Archaeornithomimus Deinocheirus ? Dromiceiomimus Gallimimus Garudimimus Harpymimus Ornithomimus Pelecanimimus Shenzhousaurus Struthiomimus Ornithomimids (Bird mimics) or members of the Ornithomimidae family are theropod dinosaurs, like Gallimimus. ... Chirostenotes was an oviraptosaur from late Cretaceous Canada. ... Rinchen Barsbold is a Mongolian paleontologist and geologist. ... In zoological nomenclature, a type is a specimen or a taxon. ... Citipati was a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. ...

Paleobiology

Bust of Oviraptor philoceratops by Matt Martyniuk.

As its name suggests, Oviraptor was originally presumed to have eaten eggs, based on its association with a fossilized nest.^[1] However, in 1977, Barsbold argued that the strength of its beak would indicate that it was strong enough to break the shells of mollusks such as clams, which are found in the same geological formation as Oviraptor. The idea of a crushing jaw was first proposed by H. F. Osborn, who believed that the toothless beak of the original skull, together with an extension of several bones below the jaw from the palate, would have made an "egg-piercing" tool, though this interpretation has been disputed.^{[citation needed]} These bones form part of the main upper jaw bone or maxilla, which converge in the middle to form a pair of prongs. The rest of the bony palate, unlike all other dinosaurs, is extended below the jaw line and would have pushed into the space between the toothless lower jaws. A beak (rhamphotheca) covered the edges of upper and lower jaws and probably the palate, as proposed by Barsbold and Osborn. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 581 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (600 × 619 pixels, file size: 168 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Bust of Oviraptor philoceratops by Matt Martyniuk. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 581 × 599 pixelsFull resolution‎ (600 × 619 pixels, file size: 168 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Bust of Oviraptor philoceratops by Matt Martyniuk. ... Classes Caudofoveata Aplacophora Polyplacophora Monoplacophora Bivalvia Scaphopoda Gastropoda Cephalopoda † Rostroconchia The mollusks or molluscs are the large and diverse phylum Mollusca, which includes a variety of familiar creatures well-known for their decorative shells or as seafood. ... For other uses, see Clam (disambiguation). ... Orders & Suborders Saurischia Sauropodomorpha Theropoda Ornithischia Thyreophora Ornithopoda Marginocephalia Dinosaurs were vertebrate animals that dominated the terrestrial ecosystem for over 160 million years, first appearing approximately 230 million years ago. ...

In popular culture

Thanks in part to its bizarre, bird-like appearance, and reputation as an egg thief, Oviraptor is a staple of popular fiction featuring dinosaurs. However, almost all popular depictions of Oviraptor have actually been based on earlier reconstructions of the tall-crested oviraptorid now known as Citipati, not on currently recognized specimens of Oviraptor. Citipati was a genus of dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. ...

One notable example of Oviraptor in fiction is its appearance in James Gurney's book Dinotopia. Because he no longer considered it a predator of eggs, Gurney renamed the animal "Ovinutrix", which means "egg nurse". Oviraptor is often depicted in dinosaur films, such as Disney's Dinosaur, in which one was shown stealing an Iguanodon egg, and in the first episode of the Discovery Channel television series Dinosaur Planet, competing for food with Velociraptor. Oviraptor has also appeared in several video games, including Dino Stalker and Dino Crisis 2, both of which erroneously depicted the animal as capable of spitting poison in the manner of the fictionalized Dilophosaurus from the film Jurassic Park. Ruby is a young female Oviraptor that befriends the young dinosaurs in The Land Before Time TV series. James Gurney (born June 14, 1958) is an artist and author best known for his illustrated book series Dinotopia, which is presented in the form of a 19th century explorer’s journal from an island utopia cohabited by humans and dinosaurs. ... Dinotopia: Land Apart From Time by James Gurney Dinotopia is a fictional utopian place created by author and illustrator James Gurney. ... Dinosaur is a feature film produced by Walt Disney Pictures, and released to movie theatres in 2000. ... Species (Boulenger, 1881) (neotype) (Holl, 1829) nom. ... Discovery Channel is a cable and satellite TV channel founded by John Hendricks which is distributed by Discovery Communications. ... Dinosaur Planet is a four-part American nature documentary first aired on Discovery Channel in 2003. ... Species V. mongoliensis Osborn, 1924 (type) Velociraptor (IPA: ; meaning swift thief) is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 83 to 70 Ma (million years ago) during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. ... Dino Stalker (Gun Survivor 3: Dino Crisis in Japan) is a 2002 PlayStation 2 game by Capcom, and a spinoff of the Dino Crisis series of video games. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is too long or excessively detailed. ... Species  ? Dilophosaurus was a theropod dinosaur from the Early Jurassic Period. ... Jurassic Park is a 1993 science fiction film directed by Steven Spielberg, based on the novel of the same name by Michael Crichton. ... Ruby is a new main character introduced in The Land Before Time TV series. ... The Land Before Time is an animated television series, based on characters from The Land Before Time film series created by Judy Freudberg and Tony Geiss. ...

References

Dinosaurs Portal