Banji
Encyclopedia
Banji is a genus
of oviraptorid
dinosaur
. It contains one species, Banji long, named from the Chinese
for "striped crest dragon". The species is represented by a single skull and lower jaw. The specimen was donated to the Chinese Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
by an amateur collector who recovered the fossil near the city of Ganzhou
. Examination of the rock encasing the skull shows it is probably from the red beds of the Nanxiong Formation
, dating to the Cretaceous
–Paleogene
boundary about 65.5 million years ago. It was first described by Xu Xing and Feng-Lu Han in 2010.
Banji possessed a tall, crested skull like some other oviraptorids. Uniquely, the sides of the crest are adorned with a series of vertical striations, as well as grooved on the top of the lower jaw. Banji also differs from other oviraptorids in having an unusually long nasal opening that followed the curve of the crest nearly to the eye socket.
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 oviraptorid
Oviraptoridae
Oviraptoridae is a group of bird-like, herbivorous and omnivorous maniraptoran dinosaurs. Oviraptorids are characterized by their toothless, parrot-like beaks and, in some cases, elaborate crests. They were generally small, measuring between one and two metres long in most cases, though some...
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...
. It contains one species, Banji long, named from the Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
for "striped crest dragon". The species is represented by a single skull and lower jaw. The specimen was donated to the Chinese Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology
The Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology of China is a prominent research institution and collections repository for fossils, including many dinosaur and pterosaurand cat poo specimens...
by an amateur collector who recovered the fossil near the city of Ganzhou
Ganzhou
Ganzhou is a prefecture-level city in southern Jiangxi province, People's Republic of China. Its administrative seat is at Zhanggong .-History:...
. Examination of the rock encasing the skull shows it is probably from the red beds of the Nanxiong Formation
Nanxiong Formation
The Nanxiong Formation is a Mesozoic geologic formation in Guangdong Province. Dinosaur remains are among the fossils that have been recovered from the formation...
, dating to the Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
–Paleogene
Paleogene
The Paleogene is a geologic period and system that began 65.5 ± 0.3 and ended 23.03 ± 0.05 million years ago and comprises the first part of the Cenozoic Era...
boundary about 65.5 million years ago. It was first described by Xu Xing and Feng-Lu Han in 2010.
Banji possessed a tall, crested skull like some other oviraptorids. Uniquely, the sides of the crest are adorned with a series of vertical striations, as well as grooved on the top of the lower jaw. Banji also differs from other oviraptorids in having an unusually long nasal opening that followed the curve of the crest nearly to the eye socket.