Alioramus
Encyclopedia
Alioramus is a genus
of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur
from the Late Cretaceous
period of Asia
. The type
A. remotus, is known from a partial skull
and three metatarsals recovered from Mongolia
n sediments which were deposited in a humid floodplain
between 70 and 65 million years ago. These remains were named and described by Russia
n paleontologist Sergei Kurzanov
in 1976. A second species, A. altai, known from a much more complete skeleton, was named and described by Stephen L. Brusatte
and colleagues in 2009. Its relationships to other tyrannosaurid genera are unclear, with some experts believing that Alioramus is closely related to the contemporaneous Tarbosaurus
, or is a juvenile of that genus. However, the discovery of A. altai made it clear that the latter hypothesis was incorrect.
Alioramus was biped
al like most theropods, and its sharp teeth indicate that it was a carnivore
. It was smaller than tyrannosaurids like Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus
, but its adult size is difficult to estimate since both species are known from juvenile or sub-adult remains. Alioramus is characterized by the row of five bony crests along the top of its snout, a greater number of teeth than any other tyrannosaurid, and a lower skull than those of other tyrannosaurids.
Alioramus was estimated at 5 to 6 m (16.4 to 19.7 ft) in length when originally described by Sergei Kurzanov in 1976. Kurzanov, however, did not correct for lengthening of the skull by deformation during fossilization, which may indicate a shorter overall body length for this individual. If this specimen is a juvenile, then adult Alioramus would have reached greater lengths, but no confirmed adult specimens are known.
The skull of A. remotus was approximately 45 centimetres (17.7 in) long. In general, it is long and low, a shape typical of more basal
tyrannosauroids and juveniles of larger tyrannosaurids. The premaxilla
ry bones at the tip of the snout in Alioramus remotus have not been found, but are taller than wide in all tyrannosauroids for which they are known. The nasal bone
s are fused and ornamented with a row of five irregular bony crests that protrude upwards from the midline, where the nasal bones are sutured
together. These crests all measure more than 1 centimetre (0.393700787401575 in) tall.
At the back of the skull there is a transversely
-oriented protrusion, called the nuchal crest, arising from the fused parietal bone
s, a feature shared with all tyrannosaurids. In Alioramus, the nuchal crest is greatly thickened, similarly to Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. Like the rest of the skull, the lower jaw
of Alioramus was long and slender, another possible juvenile characteristic. As in Tarbosaurus, a ridge on the outer surface of the angular bone of the lower jaw articulated with the rear of the dentary bone, locking the two bones together and removing much of the flexibility seen in other tyrannosaurids. Other tyrannosaurids had four premaxillary teeth, D-shaped in cross section
, on each side. Including 16 or 17 in each maxilla
, and 18 in each dentary, Alioramus had 76 or 78 teeth, more than any other tyrannosaurid. The braincase of A. altai was intermediate between the basal theropod and avialan conditions.
The postcrania
l skeleton of Alioramus remotus is completely unknown except for three metatarsals, but the discovery of A. altai, which is known from substantially complete remains, has shed light on the morphology of the genus. By inference from other tyrannosaurids, Alioramus moved about on two legs, which had proportions similar to those of ornithomimosaurs, with long tibia
e and metatarsals in comparison to the femora
. Like other tyrannosaurids, the forelimbs were very small and bore only two digits, although some tyrannosaurid specimens retained a vestigial third digit. A long tail would have balanced out the head and torso, putting the center of mass
over the hips.
Currie
et al. 2003
Holtz 2004
Note: Holtz finds two equally probable positions for Alioramus.
Paleontologists have long classified
Alioramus within the superfamily
Tyrannosauroidea, but because its remains were for many years poorly known, a more precise classification had remained elusive until the discovery of A. altai. A cladistic analysis published in 2003 found Alioramus could be further classified into the family Tyrannosauridae and the subfamily Tyrannosaurinae, alongside Tyrannosaurus, Tarbosaurus and Daspletosaurus
. A 2004 study supported this result but suggested it was equally probable that Alioramus belonged outside the family Tyrannosauridae entirely, with its supposed juvenile characters actually reflecting a more basal position within Tyrannosauroidea. Another study omitted Alioramus altogether due to the only specimen's fragmentary nature. The discovery of A. altai in 2009 confirmed the placement of the genus within the Tyrannosaurinae.
Tarbosaurus and Alioramus shared several skull features, including a locking mechanism in the lower jaw between the dentary and angular bones, and both lacked the prong of the nasal bones which connected to the lacrimal bone
s in all other tyrannosaurids except adult Daspletosaurus. The two genera may be closely related, representing an Asian branch of the Tyrannosauridae. Some specimens of Tarbosaurus have a row of bumps on the nasal bones like those of Alioramus, although much lower. The long and low shape of the only known Alioramus remotus skull indicated that it was immature when it died and might even have been a juvenile Tarbosaurus, which lived in the same time and place. The more prominent nasal crests and much higher tooth count of Alioramus, however, suggested it was a separate taxon, even if it is known only from juvenile remains, confirmed by the discovery of A. altai. Specimens identified as immature Tarbosaurus have the same tooth count as adults.
(PIN 3141/1) of Alioramus is a partial skull associated with three metatarsals. A joint Soviet-Mongolian expedition to the Gobi Desert
in the early 1970s found these remains at a locality known as Nogon-Tsav in the Mongolian province of Bayankhongor. Alioramus was named and described by Russia
n paleontologist Sergei Kurzanov in 1976. Its crests and low skull profile looked so different from other tyrannosaurids that Kurzanov believed his find was far removed from other members of the family. Accordingly, he gave it the generic name Alioramus, derived from the Latin
alius ('other') and ramus ('branch'), and the specific name A. remotus, which means 'removed' in Latin. Alioramus is known from the holotypes of A. remotus and A. altai.
The Beds of Nogon-Tsav are considered to be contemporaneous with the Nemegt Formation
. This geologic formation
has never been dated radiometrically
, but the fauna
present in the fossil record indicate it was probably deposited during the Maastrichtian
stage
, at the very end of the Late Cretaceous
.
The Maastrichtian stage in Mongolia, as preserved in the Nemegt Formation and at Nogon-Tsav, was characterized by a wetter and more humid climate compared with the semi-arid environment preserved in the earlier, underlying Barun Goyot
and Djadochta Formation
s. Nemegt sediments preserve floodplain
s, large river
channels and soil deposits
, but caliche
deposits indicate periodic droughts. This environment supported a more diverse and generally larger dinosaur fauna than in earlier times. Kurzanov reported that other theropods, including Tarbosaurus, ornithomimosaurs and therizinosaur
s were discovered at the same locality, but these remains have never been reported in detail. If the Nogon Tsav fauna
was similar to that of the Nemegt Formation, troodontid theropods, as well as pachycephalosaurs, ankylosaurids and hadrosaurs would also have been present. Titanosaurian sauropods were also potential prey for predators in the Nemegt.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
period of Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The type
Type species
In biological nomenclature, a type species is both a concept and a practical system which is used in the classification and nomenclature of animals and plants. The value of a "type species" lies in the fact that it makes clear what is meant by a particular genus name. A type species is the species...
A. remotus, is known from a partial skull
Skull
The skull is a bony structure in the head of many animals that supports the structures of the face and forms a cavity for the brain.The skull is composed of two parts: the cranium and the mandible. A skull without a mandible is only a cranium. Animals that have skulls are called craniates...
and three metatarsals recovered from Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
n sediments which were deposited in a humid floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
between 70 and 65 million years ago. These remains were named and described by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n paleontologist Sergei Kurzanov
Sergei Kurzanov
Sergei Kurzanov is a Russian paleontologist at the Paleontological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is known mainly for his work in Mongolia and the ex-Soviet republics in Central Asia. In 1998, a species of iguanodont dinosaur from Mongolia was named Altirhinus kurzanovi in his...
in 1976. A second species, A. altai, known from a much more complete skeleton, was named and described by Stephen L. Brusatte
Stephen L. Brusatte
Stephen Louis Brusatte , is an American paleontologist.-Biography:He is the author of the 2002 book Stately Fossils: A Comprehensive Look at the State Fossils and Other Official Fossils and the 2008 book Dinosaurs...
and colleagues in 2009. Its relationships to other tyrannosaurid genera are unclear, with some experts believing that Alioramus is closely related to the contemporaneous Tarbosaurus
Tarbosaurus
Tarbosaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that flourished in Asia about 70 million years ago, at the end of the Late Cretaceous Period. Fossils have been recovered in Mongolia, with more fragmentary remains found further afield in parts of China. Although many species have been...
, or is a juvenile of that genus. However, the discovery of A. altai made it clear that the latter hypothesis was incorrect.
Alioramus was biped
Biped
Bipedalism is a form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by means of its two rear limbs, or legs. An animal or machine that usually moves in a bipedal manner is known as a biped , meaning "two feet"...
al like most theropods, and its sharp teeth indicate that it was a carnivore
Carnivore
A carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of animal tissue, whether through predation or scavenging...
. It was smaller than tyrannosaurids like Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Tyrannosaurus meaning "tyrant," and sauros meaning "lizard") is a genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur. The species Tyrannosaurus rex , commonly abbreviated to T. rex, is a fixture in popular culture. It lived throughout what is now western North America, with a much wider range than other...
, but its adult size is difficult to estimate since both species are known from juvenile or sub-adult remains. Alioramus is characterized by the row of five bony crests along the top of its snout, a greater number of teeth than any other tyrannosaurid, and a lower skull than those of other tyrannosaurids.
Description
The skull of A. remotus was approximately 45 centimetres (17.7 in) long. In general, it is long and low, a shape typical of more basal
Basal (phylogenetics)
In phylogenetics, a basal clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade; it appears at the base of a cladogram.A basal group forms an outgroup to the rest of the clade, such as in the following example:...
tyrannosauroids and juveniles of larger tyrannosaurids. The premaxilla
Premaxilla
The incisive bone is the portion of the maxilla adjacent to the incisors. It is a pair of small cranial bones at the very tip of the jaws of many animals, usually bearing teeth, but not always. They are connected to the maxilla and the nasals....
ry bones at the tip of the snout in Alioramus remotus have not been found, but are taller than wide in all tyrannosauroids for which they are known. The nasal bone
Nasal bone
The nasal bones are two small oblong bones, varying in size and form in different individuals; they are placed side by side at the middle and upper part of the face, and form, by their junction, "the bridge" of the nose.Each has two surfaces and four borders....
s are fused and ornamented with a row of five irregular bony crests that protrude upwards from the midline, where the nasal bones are sutured
Suture (anatomical)
In anatomy, a suture is a fairly rigid joint between two or more hard elements of an animal, with or without significant overlap of the elements....
together. These crests all measure more than 1 centimetre (0.393700787401575 in) tall.
Transverse plane
The transverse plane is an imaginary plane that divides the body into superior and inferior parts. It is perpendicular to the coronal and sagittal planes....
-oriented protrusion, called the nuchal crest, arising from the fused parietal bone
Parietal bone
The parietal bones are bones in the human skull which, when joined together, form the sides and roof of the cranium. Each bone is roughly quadrilateral in form, and has two surfaces, four borders, and four angles. It is named from the Latin pariet-, wall....
s, a feature shared with all tyrannosaurids. In Alioramus, the nuchal crest is greatly thickened, similarly to Tarbosaurus and Tyrannosaurus. Like the rest of the skull, the lower jaw
Mandible
The mandible pronunciation or inferior maxillary bone forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place...
of Alioramus was long and slender, another possible juvenile characteristic. As in Tarbosaurus, a ridge on the outer surface of the angular bone of the lower jaw articulated with the rear of the dentary bone, locking the two bones together and removing much of the flexibility seen in other tyrannosaurids. Other tyrannosaurids had four premaxillary teeth, D-shaped in cross section
Cross section (geometry)
In geometry, a cross-section is the intersection of a figure in 2-dimensional space with a line, or of a body in 3-dimensional space with a plane, etc...
, on each side. Including 16 or 17 in each maxilla
Maxilla
The maxilla is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper jaw. This is similar to the mandible , which is also a fusion of two halves at the mental symphysis. Sometimes The maxilla (plural: maxillae) is a fusion of two bones along the palatal fissure that form the upper...
, and 18 in each dentary, Alioramus had 76 or 78 teeth, more than any other tyrannosaurid. The braincase of A. altai was intermediate between the basal theropod and avialan conditions.
The postcrania
Postcrania
Postcrania[p] in zoology and vertebrate paleontology refers to all or part of the skeleton apart from the skull. Frequently, fossil remains, e.g...
l skeleton of Alioramus remotus is completely unknown except for three metatarsals, but the discovery of A. altai, which is known from substantially complete remains, has shed light on the morphology of the genus. By inference from other tyrannosaurids, Alioramus moved about on two legs, which had proportions similar to those of ornithomimosaurs, with long tibia
Tibia
The tibia , shinbone, or shankbone is the larger and stronger of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates , and connects the knee with the ankle bones....
e and metatarsals in comparison to the femora
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
. Like other tyrannosaurids, the forelimbs were very small and bore only two digits, although some tyrannosaurid specimens retained a vestigial third digit. A long tail would have balanced out the head and torso, putting the center of mass
Center of mass
In physics, the center of mass or barycenter of a system is the average location of all of its mass. In the case of a rigid body, the position of the center of mass is fixed in relation to the body...
over the hips.
Classification and systematics
Philip Currie
Philip Henry Wodehouse Currie, 1st Baron Currie GCB , known as Sir Philip Currie between 1885 and 1899, was a British diplomat. He was Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1893 to 1898 and Ambassador to Italy from 1898 to 1902.-Background and education:Currie was the son of Raikes Currie, Member...
et al. 2003
Note: Holtz finds two equally probable positions for Alioramus.
Paleontologists have long classified
Biological classification
Biological classification, or scientific classification in biology, is a method to group and categorize organisms by biological type, such as genus or species. Biological classification is part of scientific taxonomy....
Alioramus within the superfamily
Taxonomic rank
In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...
Tyrannosauroidea, but because its remains were for many years poorly known, a more precise classification had remained elusive until the discovery of A. altai. A cladistic analysis published in 2003 found Alioramus could be further classified into the family Tyrannosauridae and the subfamily Tyrannosaurinae, alongside Tyrannosaurus, Tarbosaurus and Daspletosaurus
Daspletosaurus
Daspletosaurus is a genus of tyrannosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America between 77 and 74 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period. Fossils of the only named species were found in Alberta, although other possible species from Alberta and Montana await...
. A 2004 study supported this result but suggested it was equally probable that Alioramus belonged outside the family Tyrannosauridae entirely, with its supposed juvenile characters actually reflecting a more basal position within Tyrannosauroidea. Another study omitted Alioramus altogether due to the only specimen's fragmentary nature. The discovery of A. altai in 2009 confirmed the placement of the genus within the Tyrannosaurinae.
Tarbosaurus and Alioramus shared several skull features, including a locking mechanism in the lower jaw between the dentary and angular bones, and both lacked the prong of the nasal bones which connected to the lacrimal bone
Lacrimal bone
The lacrimal bone, the smallest and most fragile bone of the face, is situated at the front part of the medial wall of the orbit. It has two surfaces and four borders.-Lateral or orbital surface:...
s in all other tyrannosaurids except adult Daspletosaurus. The two genera may be closely related, representing an Asian branch of the Tyrannosauridae. Some specimens of Tarbosaurus have a row of bumps on the nasal bones like those of Alioramus, although much lower. The long and low shape of the only known Alioramus remotus skull indicated that it was immature when it died and might even have been a juvenile Tarbosaurus, which lived in the same time and place. The more prominent nasal crests and much higher tooth count of Alioramus, however, suggested it was a separate taxon, even if it is known only from juvenile remains, confirmed by the discovery of A. altai. Specimens identified as immature Tarbosaurus have the same tooth count as adults.
Discovery and naming
The holotypeHolotype
A holotype is a single physical example of an organism, known to have been used when the species was formally described. It is either the single such physical example or one of several such, but explicitly designated as the holotype...
(PIN 3141/1) of Alioramus is a partial skull associated with three metatarsals. A joint Soviet-Mongolian expedition to the Gobi Desert
Gobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
in the early 1970s found these remains at a locality known as Nogon-Tsav in the Mongolian province of Bayankhongor. Alioramus was named and described by Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n paleontologist Sergei Kurzanov in 1976. Its crests and low skull profile looked so different from other tyrannosaurids that Kurzanov believed his find was far removed from other members of the family. Accordingly, he gave it the generic name Alioramus, derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
alius ('other') and ramus ('branch'), and the specific name A. remotus, which means 'removed' in Latin. Alioramus is known from the holotypes of A. remotus and A. altai.
Paleoecology
Nemegt Formation
The Nemegt Formation is a geological formation dating from the Late Cretaceous sedimentary from the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. It overlies and sometimes forms folds with the Barun Goyot Formation. It consists of river channel sediments and contains fossils of fish, turtles, crocodilians, birds and a...
. This geologic formation
Geologic formation
A formation or geological formation is the fundamental unit of lithostratigraphy. A formation consists of a certain number of rock strata that have a comparable lithology, facies or other similar properties...
has never been dated radiometrically
Radiometric dating
Radiometric dating is a technique used to date materials such as rocks, usually based on a comparison between the observed abundance of a naturally occurring radioactive isotope and its decay products, using known decay rates...
, but the fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
present in the fossil record indicate it was probably deposited during the Maastrichtian
Maastrichtian
The Maastrichtian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the latest age or upper stage of the Late Cretaceous epoch or Upper Cretaceous series, the Cretaceous period or system, and of the Mesozoic era or erathem. It spanned from 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma to 65.5 ± 0.3 Ma...
stage
Faunal stage
In chronostratigraphy, a stage is a succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic timescale, which usually represents millions of years of deposition. A given stage of rock and the corresponding age of time will by convention have the same name, and the same boundaries.Rock...
, at the very end of the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
.
The Maastrichtian stage in Mongolia, as preserved in the Nemegt Formation and at Nogon-Tsav, was characterized by a wetter and more humid climate compared with the semi-arid environment preserved in the earlier, underlying Barun Goyot
Barun Goyot Formation
The Barun Goyot Formation , dating from the Late Cretaceous Period, is located within and is widely represented in the Gobi Desert basin, in the Ömnögovi Province of Mongolia....
and Djadochta Formation
Djadochta Formation
The Djadochta Formation is situated in central Asia and dates from the Late Cretaceous Period. Laid down in the early Campanian, possibly starting in the latest Santonian, it is dated somewhat uncertainly at about 84-75 mya...
s. Nemegt sediments preserve floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
s, large river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
channels and soil deposits
Paleosol
In the geosciences, paleosol can have two meanings. The first meaning, common in geology and paleontology, refers to a former soil preserved by burial underneath either sediments or volcanic deposits , which in the case of older deposits have lithified into rock...
, but caliche
Caliche (Mineral)
Caliche is a sedimentary rock, a hardened deposit of calcium carbonate. This calcium carbonate cements together other materials, including gravel, sand, clay, and silt. It is found in aridisol and mollisol soil orders...
deposits indicate periodic droughts. This environment supported a more diverse and generally larger dinosaur fauna than in earlier times. Kurzanov reported that other theropods, including Tarbosaurus, ornithomimosaurs and therizinosaur
Therizinosaur
Therizinosaurs are theropod dinosaurs belonging to the clade Therizinosauria. Therizinosaur fossils have been found in Early through Late Cretaceous deposits in Mongolia, the People's Republic of China and Western North America...
s were discovered at the same locality, but these remains have never been reported in detail. If the Nogon Tsav fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
was similar to that of the Nemegt Formation, troodontid theropods, as well as pachycephalosaurs, ankylosaurids and hadrosaurs would also have been present. Titanosaurian sauropods were also potential prey for predators in the Nemegt.
In popular culture
- A genetically modified Alioramus, referred to within the context of the narrative as the Compassionate Redeemer, made an appearance in Elizabeth Hand's novel Aestival Tide. The Compassionate Redeemer was not a true dinosaur, but instead a composite organism, described as possessing the body of an Alioramus, the blind head of an olmOlmThe olm, or proteus , is a blind amphibian endemic to the subterranean waters of caves of the Dinaric karst of southern Europe. It lives in the waters that flow underground through this extensive limestone region including waters of the Soča river basin near Trieste in Italy, through to southern...
, and the maw of a lampreyLampreyLampreys are a family of jawless fish, whose adults are characterized by a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated from an admixture of Latin and Greek, lamprey means stone lickers...
.
- In the enhanced-motion vehicle attraction Dinosaur at Disney's Animal KingdomDisney's Animal KingdomDisney's Animal Kingdom is an animal theme park located at the Walt Disney World Resort. The fourth park built at the resort, it opened on April 22, 1998, and it is the largest single Disney theme park in the world, covering more than . It is also the first Disney theme park to be themed entirely...
theme park, an Alioramus is announced by an on-board computer, and is seen digging in the ground. As the vehicle nears the rooting dinosaur, it raises up to reveal a smaller animal in its mouth, which it proceeds to swallow as the prey kicks it hind legs and lashes with its tail, to no avail. Both creatures are brought to life through Audio-AnimatronicsAudio-AnimatronicsAudio-Animatronics is the registered trademark for a form of robotics created by Walt Disney Imagineering for shows and attractions at Disney theme parks, and subsequently expanded on and used by other companies. The robots move and make noise, generally in speech or song...
.
External links
- Alioramus remotus at DinoData.org
- Alioramus remotus at The Theropod Database
- Skull image of Alioramus at The Grave Yard
- Illustration showing the pieces found of Alioramus altai.
