I Know Dino Podcast Present Notes: Oviraptor (Episode 78)

Episode 78 can also be about Oviraptor, a misunderstood theropod initially considered an egg thief.

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On this episode, we talk about:

Identify means “egg taker” or “egg seizer”
George Olsen found the bones and Henry Fairfeld Osborn described Oviraptor in 1924
Small theropod that lived in Mongolia

Lived within the Cretaceous
First fossils had been discovered on high of what had been considered Protoceratops eggs
Holotype is a partial skeleton with a crushed cranium, discovered close to a nest of 15 eggs

Osborn additionally stated the identify Oviraptor “might totally mislead us as to its feeding habits and belie its character” (turned out to be proper)
Sort species is Oviraptor philoceratops
Identify philoceratops means “lover of ceratopsians”

Species identify as a result of they thought Oviraptor likes to eat Protoceratops
Numerous different Protoceratops had been discovered close to the place Oviraptor was discovered
Additionally, they thought that Protoceratops was the one to crush the Oviraptor cranium (nonetheless may have occurred, Protoceratops stumbled upon nest and Oviraptor died defending it?)

Within the Nineties, scientists discovered nesting oviraptorids, comparable to Citipati, which implies the eggs discovered close to Oviraptor had been in all probability Oviraptor eggs and Oviraptor was in all probability brooding
In 1994 related trying eggs to the eggs discovered by Oviraptor had Oviraptor-like embryos
One oviraptorid nest had two embryo-sized Velociraptor bones. Could also be an instance of brood parasitism (some trendy birds do that, such because the Outdated World cuckoo, the place they lay eggs in different species nest in order that the opposite species find yourself taking good care of the eggs. Attainable that Velociraptor did that too)

Unclear what precisely Oviraptor ate (nonetheless presumably ate eggs), although lizard stays had been discovered within the abdomen cavity of the one recognized Oviraptor skeleton, so it was partially carnivorous
Might have been omnivorous
Had a toothless beak

Had spikes on the roof of its mouth as a substitute of tooth
Osborn thought Oviraptor had a crushing jaw (toothless beak was an egg piercing software). In 1977 Barsbold stated the beak might have been robust sufficient to interrupt clam shells
Clams and mollusk fossils are frequent in the identical space as Oviraptor

Oviraptor is the kind genus of Oviraptoridae, a household Barsbold named in 1976
Osborn initially categorized Oviraptor as an ornithomimid, in all probability as a result of it was so fowl like
Different oviraptorids embrace Citipati, Conchoraptor, and Khaan (feathered theropods that lived in central Asia, very fowl like)

Chriostenotes is taken into account to be a detailed relative of Oviraptor
Not a dromaeosaur, simply shares the raptor identify
Citipati and Oviraptor are very related, and understanding what Citipati regarded like has helped with Oviraptor reconstructions

Scientists thought Oviraptor had a crest like a cassowary, however now they assume it’s Citipati that had the distinctive crest. Oviraptor in all probability had a crest, nevertheless it’s not clear the scale or form as a result of the one cranium discovered of Oviraptor was crushed
In 1976 Barsbold referred six different specimens to Oviraptor, however later they had been reclassified as Conchoraptor. Additionally, a big specimen with a definite crest was categorized as Oviraptor in 1981, however on nearer inspection has been tentatively reclassified as Citipati (the one with the distinct head crest like a cassowary)
Crest might have been massive and U-shaped

Crests might have been for show
Pores and skin impressions from different oviraptorosaurs (Caudipteryx and Protarchaeopteryx) present there have been feathers on the physique, wings and tail, so Oviraptor in all probability additionally had feathers
Oviraptor in all probability used its arm to assist insulate eggs whereas brooding

Weighed about 55-76 lb (25-35 kg)
Bipedal, with lengthy legs, and will in all probability transfer quick
Most likely a quick runner, like an ostrich (ostriches can run as much as 43 mph or 70 kph)

Had an s-shaped neck, lengthy tail, robust arms, curved claws on arms and toes (every had three digits)
Claws had been about 3 in (8 cm) lengthy, and had lengthy, greedy fingers
Most likely cared for its younger

Had muscular, versatile tails. Scott Individuals and his crew discovered that Oviraptor and its sort may maintain their tails up at sharp, upward angles. Attainable that male oviraptors displayed tail feathers to draw mates
Tail feathers like a peacock, to draw mates (might have executed a mating dance)
Scott Individuals and his crew printed concerning the tails in a examine in 2015, known as “A doable occasion of sexual dimorphism within the tails of two oviraptorosaur dinosaurs”

The examine was about two oviraptorids nicknamed Romeo and Juliet, who died subsequent to one another (massive sand dune fell on high of them). They had been about the identical dimension and age, however Romeo had longer, extra complicated tail bones (like a peacock). They had been buried facet by facet for 75 million years
Can see Oviraptor in ARK: Survival Developed. Within the recreation, Oviraptor steals eggs for itself or its proprietor, and it provides a mating velocity increase to all close by allied dinosaurs
Oviraptorids lived within the Cretaceous in Mongolia and North America

They was thought-about ornithomimids, however now they’re a part of Maniraptora
They’re usually small, with quick skulls, toothless jaws, and crests on the cranium
Had feathers

In comparison with different maniraptorans, they’ve quick tails
Enjoyable Reality: Antacrtica is definitely dominated by non-flying dinosaurs. Penguins are each the most important animals at as much as 100lbs (45kg) and 4ft (122cm) tall on the continent and carnivores.

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