Erliansaurus

Er-le-an-sore-us.
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Emerson Winslow

Paleoichthyologist

Emerson Winslow delves into the underwater world of prehistoric fish, uncovering the mysteries of early marine life. His discoveries have enhanced understanding of vertebrate evolution in aquatic environments.

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Name

Erliansaurus ‭(‬Erlian lizard‭)‬.

Phonetic

Er-le-an-sore-us.

Named By

X.‭ ‬Xu,‭ ‬Z.-H.‭ ‬Zhang,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Sereno,‭ ‬X.-J.‭ ‬Zhao,‭ ‬X.-W.‭ ‬Kuang,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Han‭ & ‬L.‭ ‬Tan‭ ‬-‭ ‬2002.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Therizinosauroidea.

Diet

Herbivore.

Species

E.‭ ‬bellamanus‭

Size

Holotype estimated about‭ ‬2.5‭ ‬meters long,‭ ‬but this is a subadult,‭ ‬and fully grown adults would have been larger.

Known locations

Mongolia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Iren Dabasu Formation.

Time Period

Campanian/Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Partial post cranial remains including limbs,‭ ‬pelvis and vertebrae.

In Depth

       Erliansaurus is a genus of primitive therizinosauroid from the late Cretaceous of Mongolia,‭ ‬and the fact that the holotype comes from around the late Campanian and early Maastrichtian is an indication that Erliansaurus was a late surviving form that managed to exist in Asia at a time when other more advanced therizinosaurs were common.‭ ‬Erliansaurus should not be confused with the similarly named Erlikosaurus,‭ ‬which is also of genus of therizinosaur.

Further Reading

-‭ ‬A new therizinosauroid‭ (‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Theropoda‭) ‬from the Upper Cretaceous Iren Dabasu Formation of Nei Mongol.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Vertebrata PalAsiatica‭ ‬40‭(‬3‭)‬:228-240.‭ ‬-‭ ‬X.‭ ‬Xu,‭ ‬Z.-H.‭ ‬Zhang,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬C.‭ ‬Sereno,‭ ‬X.-J.‭ ‬Zhao,‭ ‬X.-W.‭ ‬Kuang,‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Han‭ & ‬L.‭ ‬Tan‭ ‬-‭ ‬2002.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT