Tsaagan

Sar-gan.
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Benjamin Gutierrez

Vertebrate Paleontologist

Benjamin Gutierrez is a leading expert on dinosaurs, particularly the mighty theropods. His fieldwork in South America has uncovered new species and provided insights into dinosaur social structures.

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Name

Tsaagan ‭(‬White monster‭).

Phonetic

Sar-gan.

Named By

Mark Norell,‭ ‬James Clark,‭ ‬Alan Turner,‭ ‬Peter Makovicky,‭ ‬Rinchen Barsbold‭ & ‬Timothy Rowe‭ ‬-‭ ‬2006.

Classification

Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Deinonychosauria,‭ ‬Dromaeosauridae,‭ ‬Velociraptorinae.

Diet

Carnivore.

Species

T.‭ ‬mangas‭

Size

Estimated to be around‭ ‬2‭ ‬meters long.

Known locations

Mongolia,‭ ‬�mn�govi Province‭ ‬-‭ ‬Djadokhta Formation.

Time Period

Campanian of the Cretaceous.

Fossil representation

Skull and cervical‭ (‬neck‭) ‬vertebrae and shoulder girdle.

In Depth

       Originally thought to be another specimen of Velociraptor,‭ ‬a CAT scan in‭ ‬1998‭ ‬revealed that the fossil was of a new though closely related genus.‭ ‬Additional study of Tsaagan has indicated that it is most closely related to Linheraptor.‭ ‬Tsaagan probably lived and hunted like most other small Asian dromaeosaurids,‭ ‬hunting either other small dinosaurs as well as possibly smaller vertebrates such as lizards or even small mammals like Zalambdalestes.

Further Reading

– A new dromaeosaurid theropod from Ukhaa Tolgod (�mn�gov, Mongolia). – American Museum Novitates 3545:1-25. – M. A. Norell, J. M. Clark, A. H. Turner, P. J. Makovicky, R. Barsbold & T. Rowe – 2006.

SPECIES SPOTLIGHT