An unusual oviraptorosaurian dinosaur from China

Xing Xu (), Yen-Nien Cheng, Xiao-Lin Wang and Chun-Hsiang Chang
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Xing Xu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yen-Nien Cheng: National Museum of Natural Science
Xiao-Lin Wang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chun-Hsiang Chang: National Museum of Natural Science

Nature, 2002, vol. 419, issue 6904, 291-293

Abstract: Abstract Oviraptorosaurians are an unusual group of theropod dinosaurs, with highly specialized skulls1,2,3,4,5,6. Here we report a new oviraptorosaurian, Incisivosaurus gauthieri, gen. et sp. nov., from the lowest part of the Lower Cretaceous Yixian Formation of China. This oviraptorosaurian displays a number of characters closer to more typical theropods, such as a low skull and toothed jaws, thus greatly reducing the morphological gap between oviraptorosaurs and other theropods4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11. Incisivosaurus has a pair of premaxillary teeth resembling rodent incisors and small, lanceolate cheek teeth with large wear facets. These dental features were previously unknown among theropods and suggest a herbivorous diet. The new discovery provides a case of convergent evolution and demonstrates that non-avian theropods were much more diverse ecologically than previously suspected. Theropoda Marsh, 1881 Maniraptora Gauthier, 1986 Oviraptorosauria Barsbold, 1976 Incisivosaurus gauthieri gen. et sp. nov.

Date: 2002
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DOI: 10.1038/nature00966

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