|
''Shuvuuia'' is a genus of bird-like theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period of Mongolia. It is a member of the family Alvarezsauridae, small coelurosaurian dinosaurs which are characterized by short but powerful forelimbs specialized for digging. The type (and only known) species is ''Shuvuuia deserti'', or "desert bird".〔Chiappe, L.M., Norell, M. A., and Clark, J. M. (1998). "The skull of a relative of the stem-group bird ''Mononykus''." ''Nature'', 392(6673): 275-278.〕 The name ''Shuvuuia'' is derived from the Mongolian word ''shuvuu'' (шувуу) meaning "bird". ==Description== ''Shuvuuia'' was a small and lightly built animal. At 60 cm (2 ft) in length it is one of the smallest known dinosaurs. The skull is lightly built with long and slender jaws and minute teeth. ''Shuvuuia'' is unique among non-avian theropods in the skull's ability to perform prokinesis, that is, it could flex its upper jaw independently of its braincase. The hindlimbs of ''Shuvuuia'' were long, slender, and short-toed, which may indicate significant running capabilities. The forelimbs, however, were unusually short and powerfully constructed. Although originally ''Shuvuuia'' and other alvarezsaurids were thought to have only a single digit on the front limb, newer specimens show the presence of reduced second and third fingers in addition to the massively enlarged thumb known from previous specimens.〔Suzuki, S, L. Chiappe, G. Dyke, M. Watabe, R. Barsbold and K. Tsogtbaatar (2002). "A new specimen of ''Shuvuuia deserti'' Chiappe et al., 1998, from the Mongolian Late Cretaceous with a discussion of the relationships of alvarezsaurids to other theropod dinosaurs." ''Contributions in Science (Los Angeles)'', 494: 1-18〕 Like other alvarezsaurids, ''Shuvuuia'' may have used its forelimbs to open insect nests, and its slender, unusually mobile jaws to probe after such prey. Fossils of ''Shuvuuia'' are currently known from two locations within the Djadochta Formation: Ukhaa Tolgod and Tögrögiin Shiree. These sites are thought to be about 75 million years old (late Campanian age). Contemporary genera included ''Velociraptor'' and ''Protoceratops''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shuvuuia」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|