Jurassic Park Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Introduction   Games    

Tanycolagreus is an extinct genus of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic period of North America.

Carpenter et al. (2005, pp. 43–44) determined that the holotype of Tanycolagreus represents a subadult individual which measured approximately 3.3 meters (11 feet) long in life. However, one of the referred fossils, the premaxilla from the Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry, would have belonged to a larger individual, measuring 4 meters (13 feet) long. In 2010 Gregory S. Paul estimated the weight of a four metres long animal at hundred twenty kilogrammes. It cannot be determined whether or not the Cleveland-Lloyd specimen represents a fully mature adult, so the upper size limit for the taxon remains unknown.

The head of Tanycolagreus is large, elongated and rectangular in profile due to a blunt snout. The leg is rather long and lightly built.

Carpenter et al. (2005; pp. 27 & 29) diagnosed Tanycolagreus topwilsoni as follows: "Medium-sized tetanuran having short, deep-bodied premaxilla pierced by narial foramen at base of nasal process, orbital process on postorbital, T-shaped quadratojugal, centrodiapophyseal lamina on dorsals. Differs from Coelurus in the absence of pleurocoel on anterior dorsals; posterior caudal prezygapophyses elongated to one-third centrum length, rather than short; straight, rather than sigmoidal, humeral shaft; bowed, rather than straight, radius; flat-bottomed rather than arced pubic foot; straight rather than sigmoidal femoral shaft; metatarsal length subequal to humeral length, rather than 1.75 times humeral length. Differs from Ornitholestes in straight anterior margin of premaxilla, rather than rounded; T-shaped rather than L-shaped quadratojugal; elongate neural spine; posterior caudal prezygapophyses only one-third centrum length, rather than one-half centrum length; bowed, slender radius, rather than straight, robust radius".

The single premaxillary tooth preserved with the holotype is badly damaged, but does exhibit the asymmetrical cross-section typical in theropod teeth; the cheek teeth are too poorly preserved to show any detail. In the foot the second toe is slightly hyperextendable but does not carry an enlarged claw.


Wikipedia
Wikipedia has a more detailed and comprehensive article on Tanycolagreus



Navigation[]

Advertisement