   #copyright

Struthiomimus

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Dinosaurs

   iStruthiomimus

                        Fossil range: Late Cretaceous

   Illustration of a Struthiomimus specimen.
   Illustration of a Struthiomimus specimen.
               Scientific classification

   Kingdom:    Animalia
   Phylum:     Chordata
   Class:      Sauropsida
   Superorder: Dinosauria
   Order:      Saurischia
   Suborder:   Theropoda
   Infraorder: Coelurosauria
   Family:     Ornithomimidae
   Genus:      Struthiomimus

                                Binomial name

   Struthiomimus altus
   Osborn, 1917

   Struthiomimus was a long-legged, ostrich-like dinosaur of the family
   ornithomimidae, which lived in the area that is now Alberta, Canada,
   during the late Cretaceous Period, approximately 75 million years ago.
   Its generic name is derived from the Greek στρουθιον/strouthion meaning
   'ostrich' and μιμος/mimos meaning 'mimic' or 'imitator'. The specific
   name altus is from Latin, meaning 'lofty' or 'noble'.

   The bipedal Struthiomimus stood about 3.7 meters long and 1.4 meters
   (4'6") tall at the hips and weighed around 150 kg (330 lb).
   Struthiomimus is one of the more common small dinosaurs in the Dinosaur
   Provincial Park; its abundance suggests that it was an herbivore or an
   omnivore rather than a carnivore.

Discovery and species

   In 1901 Lawrence Lambe found some incomplete remains and named them
   Ornithomimus altus, placing them in the same genus as material earlier
   described by Marsh in 1890. However in 1914, a nearly complete skeleton
   (pictured above) was discovered by Barnum Brown, at the Red Deer River
   site in Alberta and officially described as the separate genus
   Struthiomimus by Henry Fairfield Osborn, in 1917. Of the specimens
   found in Alberta, some were found in and under piles of ash, suggesting
   a forest fire may have killed them.

   Struthiomimus is also known from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of
   Alberta and the Hell Creek Formation of Montana. These animals have not
   been thoroughly studied yet but they may represent new species of
   Struthiomimus.

Paleobiology

   An early restoration of Struthiomimus altus.
   Enlarge
   An early restoration of Struthiomimus altus.

   The legs (hind limbs) of Struthiomimus were long, powerful and
   seemingly well-suited to rapid running, much like an ostrich. The
   supposed speed of Struthiomimus was, in fact, its only defence from
   predators, such as the dromaeosaurs (e.g. Saurornitholestes and
   Dromaeosaurus) and the tyrannosaurs (e.g. Daspletosaurus and
   Gorgosaurus), which lived at the same time. It is estimated to have
   been able to run at speeds between 50 to 80 km/h (30 to 50 mph).
   Struthiomimus manus, showing claws (from OUMNH).
   Enlarge
   Struthiomimus manus, showing claws (from OUMNH).

   Its neck was slender and ended in a small, toothless, beaked skull,
   with relatively large eyes. The 'arms' of Struthiomimus were long and
   comparatively strong; the fore limbs were more powerful and the claws
   were more strongly hooked than in Ornithomimus. There are similarities
   to modern-day sloths. It also had the typical characteristics of most
   ornithomimids: a long, stiff tail and a toothless beak.

Diet

   There has been much discussion about the feeding habits of
   Struthiomimus. Due to its straight-edged beak, Struthiomimus is thought
   most likely to have been either an omnivore or herbivore. Some theories
   suggest that it may have been a shore-dweller and may have eaten
   insects, crabs, shrimp and possibly eggs from other dinosaurs. Some
   paleontologists noted that it was more likely to be a carnivore given
   that it was nested within the likewise carnivorous theropod group. This
   theory has never been discounted but Osborn, who described and named
   the dinosaur, proposed that it probaby ate buds and shoots from trees,
   shrubs and other plants, using its forelimbs to grasp branches and its
   long neck to enable it accurately to select particular items.

   It is possible that Struthiomimus had feathers, like many of its
   relatives.

Posture

   Struthiomimus skeleton in the Oxford University Museum of Natural
   History.
   Enlarge
   Struthiomimus skeleton in the Oxford University Museum of Natural
   History.

   Early restorations depict a posture reminiscent of the 'walking tripod'
   postures of Tyrannosaurus and Iguanodon, before the later more balanced
   depictions with stiffened horizontal tails and bodies were widely
   accepted. This newer view creates an image much more reminiscent of
   modern flightless birds, such as the ostrich to which this dinosaur's
   name refers.

Popular culture

   The best-preserved skeleton of Struthiomimus is currently on display at
   the American Museum of Natural History, in Manhattan, New York, while
   the best-preserved skull is currently on display at the Royal Tyrrell
   Museum of Palaeontology, in Drumheller, Alberta, Canada.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Struthiomimus"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
