In Depth Incisivosaurus was a rather bizarre looking dinosaur thanks to its oversized front teeth of the upper jaw. More interesting though is the fact that these teeth show wear patterns that fit in with a herbivorous diet, an indication that although a theropod, Incisivosaurus was at the very least partially herbivorous. Apart from this, … Read more
In Depth Epichirostenotes was originally discovered in 1923 before being described in 1997 as a specimen of Chirostenotes pergracilis by Hans-Dieter Sues. Further study and description in 2011 saw this specimen described as its own genus. The type species E. curriei is in honour of the palaeontologist Philip Currie. Although only known from incomplete material, … Read more
In Depth Leptorhynchos is based upon the description of caenagnathid oviraptorid dinosaur remains discovered in the Aguaja Formation of Texas, establishing the type species L. gaddisi. At the same time as this description, fossils from the Dinosaur Park Formation of Alberta and originally attributed as a species of Ornithomimus, O. elegans, have also been re-described … Read more
In Depth Caudipteryx the animal. Caudipteryx is one of the most primitive oviraptosaurs so far known to us, only the genus Incisivosaurus is known to be older at the time of writing. The skull of Caudipteryx can be easily described as being box-like, and the jaws are already formed into a beak. Teeth are still … Read more
In Depth Protarchaeopteryx was so named because of a superficial similarity to the genus Archaeopteryx. However today, Protarchaeopteryx is seen as a very primitive member of the Oviraptosauria, and one that bears a strong resemblance to the genus Incisivosaurus. Protarchaeopteryx was a small dinosaur, and one that probably specialised in hunting small animals like lizards … Read more
In Depth Fossils of Citipes were first described in 1933, but as a species of Ornithomimus. After this they subsequently moved into the Elmisaurus and Leptorhynchos genera respectively, before finally being described as a distinct genus in 2020. Citipes is a genus of oviraptosaur dinosaur that lived in North America during the late Cretaceous. Further … Read more
In Depth Though only known from partial remains, Shixinggia seems to have been a fairly advanced oviraptorid. Asian oviraptosaurs seem to have been most common in Mongolia, but Shixinggia represents one of the few known to have been living within what are now the borders of China. The first oviraptosaur known to have lived within … Read more
In Depth Apatoraptor is a genus of caenagnathid oviraptosaur that lived in Canada during the late Cretaceous. Further Reading - A new caenagnathid (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada, and a reevaluation of the relationships of Caenagnathidae. - Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36(4):e1160910:1-18. - G. F. Funston & P. J. Currie … Read more