Shanyangosaurus
Encyclopedia
Shanyangosaurus is a genus
of theropod dinosaur
found in Shaanxi
, China
, and known only from a few fragmentary leg bones. The bones are reportedly hollow; this, along with other features of the femur
and known foot bones, suggest it is a member of the coelurosauria
, but a specific family cannot be determined without more material. Holtz et al. assigned Shanyangosaurus to Avetheropoda.
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 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...
found in Shaanxi
Shaanxi
' is a province in the central part of Mainland China, and it includes portions of the Loess Plateau on the middle reaches of the Yellow River in addition to the Qinling Mountains across the southern part of this province...
, 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...
, and known only from a few fragmentary leg bones. The bones are reportedly hollow; this, along with other features of the femur
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...
and known foot bones, suggest it is a member of the coelurosauria
Coelurosauria
Coelurosauria is the clade containing all theropod dinosaurs more closely related to birds than to carnosaurs. In the past, it was used to refer to all small theropods, although this classification has been abolished...
, but a specific family cannot be determined without more material. Holtz et al. assigned Shanyangosaurus to Avetheropoda.