Tochisaurus
Tochisaurus | |
---|---|
Left metatarsus | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | Saurischia |
Clade: | Theropoda |
Family: | †Troodontidae |
Genus: | †Tochisaurus Kurzanov and Osmólska, 1991 |
Species | |
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Tochisaurus (meaning "Ostrich lizard") is a
is Tochisaurus nemegtensis.In 1948, a Soviet-Mongolian expedition found the remains of a small theropod in the Gobi Desert near Nemegt. In 1987 the find was reported by Sergei Kurzanov and later that year discussed by Halszka Osmólska who suggested it could represent a specimen of the troodontid Borogovia.[1]
Later Osmólska understood it was a species new to science. It was formalized by Kurzanov and Osmólska in 1991 as Tochisaurus nemegtensis. The generic name is derived from Mongolian toch', "ostrich", in reference to the fact that the foot, like with that bird, is functionally didactyl, i.e. has only two weight-bearing toes.[2] The specific name refers to the Nemegt.[3]
Its
Tochisaurus is a bipedal dinosaur. The metatarsus has a length of 242 millimetres, showing it was a relatively large troodontid. The second metatarsal, 222 millimetres long, is very reduced and narrow. The joint surface on top of the metatarsus is sloped forward and downward.[3]
Based on the partial fossils, Tochisaurus is thought to have been a member of the Troodontidae.[3]
See also
References
- ^ Osmolska, H., 1987, "Borogovia gracilicrus gen. et sp. n., a new troodontid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia", Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 32: 133-150
- ^ Atkinson, L. "TOCHISAURUS". DinoChecker. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d Kurzanov S.M., and Osmólska, H., 1991, "Tochisaurus nemegtensis gen. et sp. n., a new troodontid (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from Mongolia", Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 36: 69-76