What is an oviraptorosaur?
Q: What is an oviraptorosaur?
A: An oviraptorosaur is a group of feathered maniraptoran dinosaurs from the Cretaceous period of what are now Asia and North America. They have short, beaked, parrot-like skulls, with or without bony head crests.
Q: How large were some oviraptorosaurs?
A: Some oviraptorosaurs ranged in size from Caudipteryx which was the size of a turkey to the 8 meter long, 1.4 ton Gigantoraptor.
Q: Where have most complete specimens been found?
A: Most complete specimens have been found in Asia while the North American record is sparse.
Q: Are oviraptorosaurs related to birds?
A: Oviraptorosaurs are close to the ancestry of birds and may either be primitive flightless birds or just close relatives of them.
Q: What are some early species of oviraptorosauria?
A: The earliest and most basal ("primitive") known species of oviraptorosauria are Protarchaeopteryx robusta and Incisivosaurus gauthieri, both from the lower Yixian Formation in China dating to about 125 million years ago in the Lower Cretaceous.
Q: Are there any earlier occurrences of this group than 125 million years ago?
A: There may be earlier occurrences as fragmentary species such as Calamospondylus oweni and Thecocoelurus daviesi could potentially represent even earlier members of Oviraptorosauria while a tiny neck vertebra from England shares some features in common with these dinosaurs which could suggest an occurrence at around 140 million years ago.
