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Oviraptor

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Dinosaurs

   iOviraptor

                        Fossil range: Late Cretaceous

   Profile of Oviraptor philoceratops.
   Profile of Oviraptor philoceratops.

                             Conservation status

   Extinct (fossil)
               Scientific classification

   Kingdom:    Animalia
   Phylum:     Chordata
   Class:      Sauropsida
   Superorder: Dinosauria
   Order:      Saurischia
   Suborder:   Theropoda
   Infraorder: Coelurosauria
   (unranked)  Oviraptorosauria
   Family:     Oviraptoridae
   Genus:      Oviraptor
   Species:    O. philoceratops

                                Binomial name

   Oviraptor philoceratops
   Osborn, 1924

   Oviraptor was a small Mongolian theropod dinosaur, first discovered by
   legendary paleontologist Roy Chapman Andrews and first described by
   Henry Fairfield Osborn, in 1924. Its name is Latin for 'egg thief',
   referring to the fact that the first fossil specimen was discovered
   atop a pile of what were thought to be Protoceratops eggs. The specific
   name philoceratops means "lover of ceratopsians", also given as a
   result of this find. However, it is now believed that the eggs belonged
   to this genus itself and that the specimen was actually brooding its
   eggs, based on discoveries of a related animal called Citipati.
   Oviraptor forms the basis of a family called Oviraptoridae, named by
   Barsbold in 1976. Barsbold then used the name to coin a group called
   Oviraptorosauria.

Diet

   Oviraptor may have eaten eggs. However, in 1977, Barsbold argued that
   the strength of its beak would indicate that it was strong enough to
   break the shells of mollusks such as clams, which are found in the same
   formation as Oviraptor. The idea of a crushing jaw was first proposed
   by H. F. Osborn, who believed that the toothless beak in the original
   skull, together with an extension of several bones below the jaw from
   the palate, would have made an "egg-piercing" tool, though this
   interpretation has been disputed. These bones form part of the main
   upper jaw bone or maxilla, which converge in the middle to form a pair
   of prongs. The rest of the bony palate, unlike all other dinosaurs, is
   extended below the jaw line and would have pushed into the space
   between the toothless lower jaws. A rhamphotheca, or the keratin
   forming the beaks of birds, covered the edges of upper and lower beaks
   and probably the palate, as proposed by Barsbold and Osborn.

Age

   Oviraptor lived in the late Cretaceous Period, during the Santonian
   stage, and may have lived in an earlier stage called the Campanian,
   between 80 to 70 million years ago; it comes almost exclusively from
   the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia, as well as the northeast region of
   the Neimongol Autonomous Region of China, in an area called Bayan
   Mandahu. Relatives of Oviraptor include " Ingenia" and Chirostenotes.

Appearance

   Oviraptor was one of the most bird-like of the non-avian dinosaurs. Its
   rib cage, in particular, displayed several features that are typical of
   birds, including a set of processes on each rib that would have kept
   the rib cage rigid. A relative of Oviraptor called Nomingia was found
   with a pygostyle, which is a set of fused vertebrae that would later
   help support the tail feathers of birds. Skin impressions from more
   primitive oviraptorosaurs, like Caudipteryx and Protarchaeopteryx,
   clearly show an extensive covering of feathers on the body, feathered
   wings and feathered tail fans. A feather tail fan is also indicated by
   the presence of a pygostyle in Nomingia, suggesting that this feature
   was widespread among oviraptorosaurs. Additionally, the nesting
   position of the brooding Citipati specimens implies the use of
   feathered wings to cover the eggs. Given the close anatomical
   similarity between these species and Oviraptor, it is almost certain
   that Oviraptor had feathers as well.

   Oviraptor is traditionally depicted with a distinctive crest, similar
   to that of the cassowary. However, re-examination of several
   oviraptorids (Clark, Norell & Barsbold, 2001) show that this well-known
   dinosaur may actually be a species of Citipati, a relative of
   Oviraptor. It is likely that Oviraptor did have a crest, but its exact
   size and shape are unknown due to crushing in the skull specimens.

In popular culture

     * Note: Almost every appearance of "Oviraptor" in popular culture and
       fiction have actually been based on the tall-crested oviraptorid
       Citipati, not on Oviraptor.

   James Gurney, in his book Dinotopia, conceived of an animal based on
   Oviraptor. Because he no longer considered it a predator of eggs, he
   renamed the animal "Ovinutrix", which means "egg nurse". Like many
   Oviraptor illustrations of the time, it was based on a specimen now
   referred to Citipati.

   Oviraptor appeared in the game Dino Stalker. In the game it burrowed
   through sand to surprise its enemies and spat poison, behaviors
   invented purely for the game.

   In Disney's Dinosaur, an "Oviraptor" (again, actually Citipati) was
   shown stealing an Iguanodon egg which would later become the film's
   protagonist, Aladar. It also appeared in the video game based on the
   movie.

   Oviraptor is featured in the first episode of the Discovery Channel TV
   series Dinosaur planet, competing for food with Velociraptor.

   In the video game Dino Crisis 2, Oviraptor was a small pack-hunting
   enemy, spitting acidic venom. This feat was probably based on the
   poison-spitting Dilophosaurus from Jurassic Park.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oviraptor"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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