Ovoo

Oh-vu.
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Emily Green

Paleobotanist

Emily Green brings the ancient world of plants to life through her insightful research and engaging writing. Her expertise lies in examining how prehistoric vegetation influenced climate patterns and animal evolution.

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Name

Ovoo ‭(‬maned after the cairns‭ (‬rock piles‭) ‬that mark trails in Mongolia‭)‬.

Phonetic

Oh-vu.

Named By

M.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Norell,‭ ‬K.-Q.‭ ‬Gao‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬Conrad‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Squamata,‭ ‬Varanidae.

Diet

Carnivore/Insectivore.

Species

O.‭ ‬gurvel‭

Size

Unknown due to lack of fossil remains.

Known locations

Mongolia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Djadokhta Formation.

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial skull.

In Depth

       Although only known from a partial skull,‭ ‬Ovoo represents not only one of the smallest monitor lizards to ever live,‭ ‬but also one of the earliest appearances of a monitor lizard.‭ ‬Unfortunately because Ovoo is only known from an incomplete skull,‭ ‬it is very difficult to estimate the full body size of Ovoo because body proportions and lengths amongst different monitor lizards can vary a lot.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A New Platynotan Lizard‭ (‬Diapsida:‭ ‬Squamata‭) ‬from the Late Cretaceous Gobi Desert‭ (‬�mn�gov‭)‬,‭ ‬Mongolia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬American Museum Novitates‭ (‬3605‭)‬1-22.‭ ‬-‭ ‬M.‭ ‬A.‭ ‬Norell,‭ ‬K.-Q.‭ ‬Gao‭ & ‬J.‭ ‬Conrad‭ ‬-‭ ‬2007.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT