Garudimimus
| Garudimimus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous,
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| Family: | Garudimimidae Barsbold, 1981
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| Genus: | Garudimimus Barsbold, 1981
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Garudimimus ("Garuda mimic") is a basal member of Ornithomimosauria, known from single specimen discovered from Upper Cretaceous sediments of the Bayan Shireh Formation, Mongolia.
Description
This dinosaur was roughly 4 metres in length (13 feet), and may have been an omnivore. Garudimimus, an early ornithomimosaurian, appears to have not been as adapted for speed as more derived ornithomimids. It had relatively short legs, heavy feet, and in the hip, shorter ilia, the latter indicating that the musculature of the legs was not as well-developed as in more derived ornithomimids. The foot had four toes and a vestige of the first toe, whereas all other ornithomimids were three-toed with the first and fifth toe lost. The skull has a more rounded snout than others of the group, and larger eyes.[1]
Previously it was thought that this primitive member of Ornithomimosauria possessed a horn at the top of the skull. However, recent studies have shown that this "horn" was simply a misplaced skull bone.[2]
References
- ^ Dixon, Dougal (2006). The Complete Book of Dinosaurs. London: Hermes House. p. 190. ISBN 0-681-37578-7.
- ^ Kobayashi, Y. and Barsbold, R. (2005). "Reexamination of a primitive ornithomimosaur, Garudimimus brevipes Barsbold, 1981 (Dinosauria:Theropoda), from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia." Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 42: 1501–1521.
