Caenagnathasia

Say-nah-nay-fay-se-ah.
Published on

Liam Carter

Paleoanthropologist

Liam Carter explores the roots of humanity by studying early human fossils and artifacts. His ground-breaking work has provided a deeper understanding of our ancestors' lifestyles and social structures.

Cite Feedback Print

Name

Caenagnathasia ‭(‬recent jaw from Asia‭)‬.

Phonetic

Say-nah-nay-fay-se-ah.

Named By

P.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Currie,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Godfrey‭ & ‬L.‭ ‬Nessov‭ ‬-‭ ‬1994.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Oviraptorosauria,‭ ‬Caenagnathoidea,‭ ‬Caenagnathidae.

Diet

Omnivore‭?

Species

C.‭ ‬martinsoni‭

Size

Uncertain due to lack of fossil remains,‭ ‬but roughly estimated to be about‭ ‬60‭ ‬centimetres long..

Known locations

China. Uzbekistan‭ ‬-‭ ‬Bissekty Formation.

Time Period

Turonian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Initially only from partial jaw material,‭ ‬vertebrae and a femur have now also been attributed to the genus.

In Depth

       For a long time Caenagnathasia has been known from only jaw material,‭ ‬and even with the subsequent discovery of an upper leg bone and vertebrae,‭ ‬not much is known about this dinosaur.‭ ‬Two facts can however be established about Caenagnathasia.‭ ‬First,‭ ‬Caenagnathasia is one of if not the smallest oviraptosaur currently known.‭ ‬Second,‭ ‬Caenagnathasia is also one of earliest oviraptosaurs to appear in the fossils record.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬New caenagnathid‭ (‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Theropoda‭) ‬specimens from the Upper Cretaceous of North America and Asia.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences‭ ‬30‭(‬10-11‭)‬:2255-2272.‭ ‬-‭ ‬P.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Currie,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Godfrey‭ & ‬L.‭ ‬Nessov‭ ‬-‭ ‬1994.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT