Guanlong

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Guanlong
Temporal range:
Ma
↓
Skeleton
Mounted skeleton
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: †Proceratosauridae
Genus: †Guanlong
Xu et al., 2006
Species:
†G. wucaii
Binomial name
†Guanlong wucaii
Xu et al., 2006

Guanlong (冠龍) is a

tyrannosauroid dinosaur from the Late Jurassic of China. The taxon was first described in 2006 by Xu Xing et al., who found it to represent a new taxon related to Tyrannosaurus. The name is derived from Chinese, translating as "crown dragon". Two individuals are currently known, a partially complete adult and a nearly complete juvenile. These specimens come from the Oxfordian stage of the Chinese Shishugou Formation
.

Discovery

The paratype specimen IVPP V14532, with its skull removed

Guanlong was discovered in the Dzungaria area of China by a joint expedition by scientists from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology and George Washington University, and named by Xu Xing and others in 2006. Guanlong comes from the Chinese words for "crown", 冠, and "dragon", 龍, referring to the crest. The specific epithet (五彩), wucaii (Hanyu Pinyin: wǔcǎi), means "multicoloured" and refers to the colours of rock of the Wucaiwan (五彩灣, "5-colored bay", "multicolored bay"), the multi-hued badlands where the creature was found.[1][2]

Adult material

At present, Guanlong is known from two specimens, one discovered on top of the other, with three other individual theropod dinosaurs, in the Shishugou Formation. The holotype (IVPP V14531) is a reasonably complete, partially articulated adult skeleton, and was the one on top. Another, immature specimen, the paratype IVPP V14532, is known from fully articulated and nearly complete remains. It was presumed to have been trampled, after death, by the adult. The crest on the skull of the immature specimen is notably smaller and restricted to the forward portion of the snout, while the adult has a larger and more extensive crest. The crests of both specimens are thin, delicate structures that likely served as display organs, possibly for events like mating.[1][2]

Description

Guanlong compared to a human in size

Guanlong was a relatively small theropod, reaching 3–3.5 m (9.8–11.5 ft) in length and 125 kg (276 lb) in body mass.

theropod shared many traits with its descendants, and also had some unusual ones, like a large crest on its head. Unlike later tyrannosaurs, Guanlong had three long fingers on its hands. Aside from its distinctive crest, it would have resembled its close relative Dilong, and like Dilong may have had a coat of primitive feathers.[1]

Classification

Body restoration

In a recent study, Guanlong was found to be in a clade with both Proceratosaurus and Kileskus. Together they formed the family Proceratosauridae with a clade containing Sinotyrannus, Juratyrant and Stokesosaurus.[5] However, in 2014 another study was published, instead finding Stokesosaurus and Juratyrant outside the family, which only included Guanlong, Proceratosaurus, Kileskus and Sinotyrannus.[6]

Below is a simplified cladogram of the later analysis, from Fiorillo & Tykoski, 2014.[6]

Proceratosauridae

Paleobiology

Head restoration

The age of the two individuals were determined using a

coelurosaurs and tyrannosauroids.[1]

Guanlong possessed a cranial crest, which may have been used for display. It is similar to those of

pneumatized. However, it was more delicate than in the other genera, and also proportionately larger and more elaborate. Structures in Dilophosaurus and Monolophosaurus have also been suggested to be for species recognition, but the more gracile crest of Guanlong is more likely for display purposes.[1]

See also

References

  1. ^
    S2CID 4424849
    .
  2. ^
    ISBN 978-1-7811-6912-4
    .
  3. ^ Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2008) Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages Supplementary Information
  4. OCLC 985402380
    .
  5. PMID 24223179
    .
  6. ^
    PMID 24621577
    .

External links
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Guanlong&oldid=1186569572"