Bagaraatan (meaning "small hunter" in Mongolian) is an extinct genus of theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period. Its fossils were found in the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. Bagaraatan may have been around 3-4 meters in length.
The type species, B. ostromi, was described by Osmolska in 1996. The post-cranial (ZPAL MgD-I/108) skeleton has been described as "bird-like", while the skull exhibits features of several different theropod groups. Holtz classified it as a basal tyrannosauroid, Coria identified it as a troodontid, and Rauhut placed it in maniraptora.
Classification[]
Size of Bagaraatan ostromi compared to a human
Posterior part of left mandible of Bagaraatan ostromi, stereophotographs in lateral, posterior, dorsal, and medial views
Holtz classified it as a tyrannosauroid, Coria identified it as a troodontid, and Rauhut placed it in Maniraptora. Mark Loewen et al. placed it as a basal tyrannosauroid, in accordance with Holtz's assignment.
Below is the cladogram from Loewen et al. of 2013.
| Tyrannosauroidea |
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References[]
- Osmolska, H. (1996). "An unusual theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 41; 1-38