| Conchoraptor | |
|---|---|
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| Cast mounted in a nesting position | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Oviraptoridae |
| Subfamily: | †Heyuanninae |
| Genus: | †Conchoraptor Barsbold, 1986 |
| Species: | †C. gracilis |
| Binomial name | |
| †Conchoraptor gracilis Barsbold, 1986 | |
Conchoraptor (meaning "conch plunderer") is agenus ofoviraptoriddinosaurs that lived inAsia during theLate Cretaceous epoch, about 70 million years ago. It is known from theBarun Goyot andNemegt formations ofMongolia.
When first discovered in theRed Beds of Hermiin Tsav of the EarlyMaastrichtianNemegt Formation by a Polish-Mongolian expedition in 1971, scientists believed thatConchoraptor was a juvenileOviraptor and that the animal's missing crest would have begun to grow when the animal reachedsexual maturity. Further study of multiple skeletons showed thatConchoraptor belonged to a new genus. The hands ofConchoraptor were a major reason scientists decided to split it off fromOviraptor. Anatomically the hands seemed to be anevolutionary intermediate between those ofAjancingenia andOviraptor, making it obvious that this animal was not a member of a known species.[1]
Thetype species of this new genus,Conchoraptor gracilis, was described and named byBarsbold, in 1986. The generic name is derived from Greekkonkhè, "mussel", andLatinraptor, "plunderer".[2] This name reflects Barsbold's hypothesis that oviraptorids, rather than preying primarily upon eggs as had been traditionally thought, may have been specialized to feed onmollusks.[1] Thespecific name means "gracile" in Latin. Theholotype isMPC-D 100/20, a partial skull.[3] Numerous specimens were formally referred to the species later, including some recovered from theBarun Goyot Formation.[4]
Conchoraptor was a small dinosaur, only 1–2 meters (3.3–6.6 ft) in length. Unlike many otheroviraptorids,Conchoraptor lacked a head crest. Like its relatives, it lacked teeth. Instead of teeth, oviraptorids had powerful beaks, possibly adapted to crushingmollusk shells.[1] The skull ofConchoraptor was heavily pneumatised, with most of the bones hollow.[5]
Conchoraptor was by Barsbold assigned to theOviraptoridae in 1986. Recent analyses show it was a member of the oviraptorid subfamily Ingeniinae (now Heyuanninae). Thecladogram below follows an analysis by Fantiet al., 2012.[6]
| Oviraptoridae |
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Internal connections between both ears functioned as resonance chambers and improved hearing.[7]
Originally it was suggested that Conchoraptor had a diet that primarily consisted of mollusks.[8][9][10] A 2022 study of the bite force ofConchoraptor and comparisons with other oviraptorosaurs such asIncisivosaurus,Citipati, andKhaan instead suggests thatConchoraptor had a very strong bite force. The moderate jaw gape seen in oviraptorosaurs is indicative of herbivory in the majority of the group, but it is clear they were likely feeding on much tougher or more various types of vegetation than other herbivorous theropods in their environment, such as ornithomimosaurs and therizinosaurs were able to. The examinations suggest oviraptorosaurs may have been powerful-biting generalists or specialists that partook of niche partitioning both in body size and cranial function.[11]
TheNemegt Formation of Mongolia, is estimated to date back to theMaastrichtianstage, between 70 and 66 million years ago[12] of the LateCretaceousperiod.[13] During the Late Cretaceous period, the land that is now the Nemegt Formation had an arid environment with fields of sanddunes and only intermittentstreams. It is slightly younger than the nearbyDjadochta Formation, and seems to have been slightly wetter.[13] This formation is noteworthy for the exquisite preservation of small and fragile dinosaur skeletons, a rare occurrence considering that these fossils are typically broken up and dispersed when found in other rock formations.[14]
Conchoraptor shared its habitat with other oviraptorosaurs includingAvimimus andNomingia, other theropods include troodontids such asTochisaurus andZanabazar, the tyrannosauridsAlioramus andTarbosaurus. Ornithischians include the pachycephalosaursHomalocephale andPrenocephale, the hadrosauridSaurolophus, the ankylosaursSaichania andTarchia.
Media related toConchoraptor at Wikimedia Commons
Data related toConchoraptor at Wikispecies
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