Linheraptor
Encyclopedia
Linheraptor is a genus
of dromaeosaurid dinosaur
which lived in what is now China
in the Late Cretaceous
. It was named by Xu Xing and colleagues in 2010, and contains the species Linheraptor exquisitus. This bird-like dinosaur was less than 2 m (6.5 ft) long and was found in Inner Mongolia
. It is known from a single, mostly complete skeleton.
ns. Like all dromaeosaurids, it had an elongated skull, a curved neck, an enlarged toe claw on each foot, and a long tail; Linheraptor was bipedal and carnivorous
. The large toe claws may have been used for capturing prey.
; a more detailed publication is forthcoming. The specimen was recovered from rocks at Bayan Mandahu. The rock formation is the Wulansuhai Formation, equivalent to the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia
dating from the Campanian
; the Djadokhta Formation has yielded the related genera Tsaagan
and Velociraptor
. The holotype
specimen of Linheraptor, articulated and uncompressed, is one of few nearly complete skeletons of dromaeosaurid dinosaurs worldwide. The name of the genus refers to the district Linhe, the district of Inner Mongolia where the specimen was discovered, while the specific name, exquisitus, refers to the well-preserved holotype (IVPP
V 16923).
. Linheraptor and Tsaagan were intermediate between basal and derived dromaeosaurids. The two share several skull details, among which a large maxillary fenestra — an opening in the maxilla
, an upper jaw bone — and lack various features of more derived
dromaeosaurids such as Velociraptor.
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 dromaeosaurid 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...
which lived in what is now China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 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...
. It was named by Xu Xing and colleagues in 2010, and contains the species Linheraptor exquisitus. This bird-like dinosaur was less than 2 m (6.5 ft) long and was found in Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
. It is known from a single, mostly complete skeleton.
Description
Linheraptor was a bird-like theropod dinosaur. It was a dromaeosaurid which measured approximately 1.8 metres (5.9 ft) in length, and weighed up to approximately 25 kilograms (55.1 lb). At that size, Linheraptor would have been a fast and agile predator, perhaps preying on small ceratopsiaCeratopsia
Ceratopsia or Ceratopia is a group of herbivorous, beaked dinosaurs which thrived in what are now North America, Europe, and Asia, during the Cretaceous Period, although ancestral forms lived earlier, in the Jurassic. The earliest known ceratopsian, Yinlong downsi, lived between 161.2 and 155.7...
ns. Like all dromaeosaurids, it had an elongated skull, a curved neck, an enlarged toe claw on each foot, and a long tail; Linheraptor was bipedal and carnivorous
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...
. The large toe claws may have been used for capturing prey.
Discovery
Researchers announced the discovery of the genus after a nearly complete fossilised skeleton was found in 2008 by Jonah Choiniere and Michael D. Pittman in Inner MongoliaInner Mongolia
Inner Mongolia is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in the northern region of the country. Inner Mongolia shares an international border with the countries of Mongolia and the Russian Federation...
; a more detailed publication is forthcoming. The specimen was recovered from rocks at Bayan Mandahu. The rock formation is the Wulansuhai Formation, equivalent to the Djadokhta Formation of 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...
dating from the Campanian
Campanian
The Campanian is, in the ICS' geologic timescale, the fifth of six ages of the Late Cretaceous epoch . The Campanian spans the time from 83.5 ± 0.7 Ma to 70.6 ± 0.6 Ma ...
; the Djadokhta Formation has yielded the related genera Tsaagan
Tsaagan
Tsaagan is a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Djadokhta Formation of the late Cretaceous of Mongolia....
and Velociraptor
Velociraptor
Velociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that existed approximately 75 to 71 million years ago during the later part of the Cretaceous Period. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis; fossils...
. The holotype
Holotype
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...
specimen of Linheraptor, articulated and uncompressed, is one of few nearly complete skeletons of dromaeosaurid dinosaurs worldwide. The name of the genus refers to the district Linhe, the district of Inner Mongolia where the specimen was discovered, while the specific name, exquisitus, refers to the well-preserved holotype (IVPP
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...
V 16923).
Taxonomy
Among its sister taxa, Linheraptor is believed to be most closely related to Tsaagan mangasTsaagan
Tsaagan is a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Djadokhta Formation of the late Cretaceous of Mongolia....
. Linheraptor and Tsaagan were intermediate between basal and derived dromaeosaurids. The two share several skull details, among which a large maxillary fenestra — an opening in the 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...
, an upper jaw bone — and lack various features of more derived
Derived
In phylogenetics, a derived trait is a trait that is present in an organism, but was absent in the last common ancestor of the group being considered. This may also refer to structures that are not present in an organism, but were present in its ancestors, i.e. traits that have undergone secondary...
dromaeosaurids such as Velociraptor.
