Dinosaurs, Central Asia
Oviraptor skeleton
Oviraptoridae
A toothless beak and light build: an oviraptor skeleton from the Late Cretaceous of Central Asia.
34 000 000 ₽ · By order
- Epoch
- Cretaceous period
- Age
- 89.8–70.6 Mya
- Origin
- Central Asia
- Classification
- Family Oviraptoridae
- Habitat
- Landscapes of Late Cretaceous Central Asia
- Ref.
- R–0614
In Late Cretaceous Central Asia lived the oviraptorids — feathered theropods with toothless beaks and light builds, close relatives of birds among dinosaurs.
The name “egg thief” arose from a misunderstanding: the first skeleton was found on a clutch of eggs that was thought to belong to another animal. Later discoveries showed that the animal had been brooding its own eggs, covering them with its body and wing-like arms.
The specimen belongs to the family Oviraptoridae. The skeleton is complete, with clearly legible elements of the skull and limb girdles.
Oviraptorids became one of the key arguments for the kinship of dinosaurs and birds: the structure of the pelvis, limbs and hand shows their closeness to the branch from which birds arose.
As found
The oviraptorid stands in the pose of the mount: a bird-like step, a short beak, feathered arms. The red sands of the Gobi. Identification is to family level; the appearance is generalised from the oviraptorids.