Misplaced Pages

#810189

151-571: Therizinosaurus ( / ˌ θ ɛ r ə ˌ z ɪ n oʊ ˈ s ɔːr ə s / ; meaning 'scythe lizard') is a genus of very large therizinosaurid that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now the Nemegt Formation around 70 million years ago. It contains a single species, Therizinosaurus cheloniformis . The first remains of Therizinosaurus were found in 1948 by

302-409: A cartilaginous system with its periphery in life. The coracoid measured 36 cm (14 in) in length, it had a broad and convex lateral surface that formed a slightly inclined concavity near of the scapulocoracoid suture. This concavity bent down towards the scapular widening. Near the scapulocoracoid suture, this edge turned very thin and possibly into cartilage along with the periphery of

453-630: A Mongolian field expedition at the Gobi Desert and later described by Evgeny Maleev in 1954. The genus is only known from a few bones, including gigantic manual unguals (claw bones), from which it gets its name, and additional findings comprising fore and hindlimb elements that were discovered from the 1960s through the 1980s. Therizinosaurus was a colossal therizinosaurid that could grow up to 9–10 m (30–33 ft) long and 4–5 m (13–16 ft) tall, and weigh possibly over 5 t (5.5 short tons). Like other therizinosaurids, it would have been

604-571: A crest—particularly taller in the first phalanx. The top border of this crest was very pointed and thick; it likely served as the site for attachment of the extensor tendons in life. The lower heads were nearly symmetrical, but the central depression was considerably wider and deeper in the first phalanx. The manual unguals of Therizinosaurus were especially enormous and long, estimated to have covered approximately 52 cm (20 in) in length. Unlike other therizinosaurs they were very straight, side to side flattened, and had sharp curvatures only at

755-428: A few birds, e.g. the sandgrouse, lark, stonechat, sparrow, crane, Mongolian ground jay ( Podoces hendersoni ), horned lark ( Eremophila alpestris ), and crested lark ( Galerida cristata ). The structure here is that of the mighty T'ien Shan , or Heavenly Mountains, running from west to east. It divides the northern one-third of Sinkiang from the southern two-thirds. On the northern side, rivers formed from

906-457: A force of 400 N applied in each scenario: scratch/ digging ; hook-and-pull; and piercing. Though the stocky claws of Alxasaurus resulted in low- stress magnitudes, the stress was greater with the curvature and elongation of the claws in Falcarius , Nothronychus and Therizinosaurus . Some of the highest stress, deformation, and strain magnitudes were obtained in the scratch/digging scenario,

1057-407: A genus is determined by taxonomists . The standards for genus classification are not strictly codified, so different authorities often produce different classifications for genera. There are some general practices used, however, including the idea that a newly defined genus should fulfill these three criteria to be descriptively useful: Moreover, genera should be composed of phylogenetic units of

1208-528: A high proportion of woody, fragrant plants. Gobi mutton is the most aromatic in the world. The Yulduz valley or valley of the Haidag-gol ( 43°N 83°E  /  43°N 83°E  / 43; 83 – 43°N 86°E  /  43°N 86°E  / 43; 86 ) is a mini desert enclosed by two prominent members of the Shanashen Trahen Osh mountain range, namely the chucis and

1359-507: A large theropod, but also in association with other elements including a metacarpal fragment and several ribs fragments. It was labelled under the specimen number PIN 551-483 and later on, these fossils were described by the Russian paleontologist Evgeny Maleev in 1954 who used them to scientifically name the new genus and type species Therizinosaurus cheloniformis , becoming the holotype specimen. The generic name , Therizinosaurus ,

1510-643: A later homonym of a validly published name is a nomen illegitimum or nom. illeg. ; for a full list refer to the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants and the work cited above by Hawksworth, 2010. In place of the "valid taxon" in zoology, the nearest equivalent in botany is " correct name " or "current name" which can, again, differ or change with alternative taxonomic treatments or new information that results in previously accepted genera being combined or split. Prokaryote and virus codes of nomenclature also exist which serve as

1661-621: A long time and redescribed as new by a range of subsequent workers, or if a range of genera previously considered separate taxa have subsequently been consolidated into one. For example, the World Register of Marine Species presently lists 8 genus-level synonyms for the sperm whale genus Physeter Linnaeus, 1758, and 13 for the bivalve genus Pecten O.F. Müller, 1776. Within the same kingdom, one generic name can apply to one genus only. However, many names have been assigned (usually unintentionally) to two or more different genera. For example,

SECTION 10

#1732858923811

1812-650: A new family of dinosaurs, the Segnosauridae . He tentatively placed the family within Theropoda given the similarities of the mandible and dentition to other members. A year later, the new genus Erlikosaurus was named by Barsbold and Perle in 1980. They named a new infraorder called the Segnosauria, composed of Erlikosaurus and Segnosaurus . They also noted that while aberrant and having ornithischian-like pelves, segnosaurs featured similar traits to other theropods. With

1963-496: A proportionally small skull bearing a rhamphotheca (horny beak) atop its long neck; bipedal gaits; a large belly for foliage processing; and sparse feathering . Other traits that were likely present in Therizinosaurus include a heavily pneumatized (air-filled) vertebral column and a robustly-built, ophistopubic (backwards oriented) pelvis . In 2010, Senter and James used hindlimb length equations to predict

2114-421: A reduced bite force that may have been useful for cropping vegetation or foraging , based on relative therizinosaurids such as Erlikosaurus and Segnosaurus . As the bite force started to decrease from primitive to derived therizinosaurians, Therizinosaurus , being a derived member, would have been subject to the evolutionary relationship. When the genus was first described by Maleev in 1954, he considered that

2265-409: A reference for designating currently accepted genus names as opposed to others which may be either reduced to synonymy, or, in the case of prokaryotes, relegated to a status of "names without standing in prokaryotic nomenclature". An available (zoological) or validly published (botanical) name that has been historically applied to a genus but is not regarded as the accepted (current/valid) name for

2416-456: A robust use of these limbs. Therizinosaurus was a very tall animal, likely having a reduced competition over the foliage in its habitat and outmatching predators like tyrannosaurid Tarbosaurus . In 1948, several Mongolian Paleontological expeditions organized by the USSR Academy of Sciences were conducted in the Nemegt Formation of the Gobi Desert , Southwestern Mongolia , with

2567-486: A scratch/digging fashion, indicating this as the most unlikely function. Though fossorial (digging) behavior has been reported in several dinosaur species, the large body size largely rules out the possibility of burrow digging in therizinosaurs. Nevertheless, an overall digging action would have been done with the foot claws because, since as in other maniraptorans, feathers on the arms would have interfered with this function. Instead of being used for fossorial behavior, it

2718-551: A slow-moving, long-necked, high browser equipped with a rhamphotheca (horny beak) and a wide torso for food processing. Its forelimbs were particularly robust and had three fingers that bore unguals which, unlike other relatives, were very stiffened, elongated, and only had significant curvatures at the tips. Therizinosaurus had the longest known manual unguals of any land animal, reaching above 50 cm (20 in) in length. Its hindlimbs ended in four functionally weight-bearing toes differing from other theropod groups in which

2869-457: A source of cashmere wool . Large copper deposits are being mined by Rio Tinto Group . The mine was and remains controversial. There was significant opposition in Mongolia's parliament to the terms under which the mine will proceed, and some are calling for the terms to be renegotiated. Specifically, the contention revolves primarily around the question of whether negotiations were fair (Rio Tinto

3020-432: A stocky and flattened dorsal blade, wide acromial process (bony extension) and a very widened ventral surface. Near the anterior edge of the scapular widening and near the scapulocoracoid suture (bone joint), a foramen was located; it likely functioned as a channel for blood vessels and nerves when alive. The posterior edge of the scapula was robust and the acromion was lightly built, likely fused into

3171-502: A synonym of Therizinosauria. Though some uncertainties remained, a small and feathered therizinosauroid from China was described in 1999 by Xu Xing and colleagues: the new genus Beipiaosaurus . It confirmed the placement of therizinosaurs among theropods and also their taxonomic place on the Coelurosauria . The discovery also indicated that feathers were highly distributed among theropod dinosaurs. In 2010 , Lindsay Zanno revised

SECTION 20

#1732858923811

3322-427: A taxon; however, the names published in suppressed works are made unavailable via the relevant Opinion dealing with the work in question. In botany, similar concepts exist but with different labels. The botanical equivalent of zoology's "available name" is a validly published name . An invalidly published name is a nomen invalidum or nom. inval. ; a rejected name is a nomen rejiciendum or nom. rej. ;

3473-427: A theropod of uncertain classification. However, with the unexpected discovery and description of Alxasaurus in 1993, the widely accepted sauropodomorph affinities of segnosaurs were questioned by paleontologists Dale Russell and Dong Zhiming . This new genus was far more complete than any other segnosaur and multiple anatomical features indicated that it was related to Therizinosaurus . With this, they identified

3624-857: A theropod. After years of taxonomic debate, nevertheless, they are now placed in one of the major dinosaur clades, Theropoda , specifically as maniraptorans . Therizinosaurus is widely recovered within Therizinosauridae by most analyses. The unusual arms and body anatomy (extrapolated after relatives) of Therizinosaurus have been cited as an example of convergent evolution with chalicotheriines and other primarily herbivorous mammals, suggesting similar feeding habits. The elongated hand claws of Therizinosaurus were more useful when pulling vegetation within reach rather than being used for active attack or defense because of their fragility, however, they may have had some role for intimidation. Its arms also were particularly resistant to stress , which suggests

3775-455: A total of c. 520,000 published names (including synonyms) as at end 2019, increasing at some 2,500 published generic names per year. "Official" registers of taxon names at all ranks, including genera, exist for a few groups only such as viruses and prokaryotes, while for others there are compendia with no "official" standing such as Index Fungorum for fungi, Index Nominum Algarum and AlgaeBase for algae, Index Nominum Genericorum and

3926-407: A turtle. He also suggested that the supposed ribs of the holotype were likely from a different dinosaur, possibly a sauropodomorph. In 1976 Barsbold concluded that Therizinosaurus was a theropod because MPC-D 100/15 matched numerous theropodan characters, and that Therizinosauridae and Deinocheiridae were probably synonyms . With the discovery and description of Segnosaurus , in 1979 Perle named

4077-609: A warm 27 °C (81 °F). Most of the precipitation falls during the summer. Although the southeast monsoons reach the southeast parts of the Gobi, the area throughout this region is generally characterized by extreme dryness, especially during the winter, when the Siberian anticyclone is at its strongest. The southern and central parts of the Gobi Desert have variable plant growth due to this monsoon activity. The more northern areas of

4228-437: Is a Chinese government tree-planting project begun in 1978 and set to continue through 2050. The goal of the program is to reverse desertification by planting aspen and other fast-growing trees on some 36.5 million hectares across some 551 counties in 12 provinces of northern China. The Gobi, broadly defined, can be divided into five distinct dry ecoregions , based on variations in climate and topography: The surface

4379-607: Is absolutely sterile, and its northern foot rests upon a narrow belt of barren sand, which leads down to the depressions mentioned above. The Kuruk-tagh is the greatly disintegrated, denuded and wasted relic of a mountain range which used to be of incomparably greater magnitude. In the west, between Lake Bosten and the Tarim , it consists of two, possibly of three, principal ranges, which, although broken in continuity, run generally parallel to one another, and embrace between them numerous minor chains of heights. These minor ranges, together with

4530-516: Is also located on a plateau roughly 910–1,520 m (2,990–4,990 ft) above sea level, which contributes to its low temperatures. An average of about 194 mm (7.6 in) of rain falls annually in the Gobi. Additional moisture reaches parts of the Gobi in winter as snow is blown by the wind from the Siberian Steppes. These winds may cause the Gobi to reach −40 °C (−40 °F) in winter to 45 °C (113 °F) in summer. However,

4681-408: Is confined to these same areas, is of the scantiest and is mainly confined to bushes of saxaul (Haloxylon) , anabasis , reeds (kamish), tamarisks , poplars , and Ephedra . There is little information about early habitation of the Gobi desert. Lisa Janz has proposed a system of nomenclature for early Gobi desert habitation. They are Oasis I, Oasis II, Oasis III. Oasis I is equivalent to

Therizinosaurus - Misplaced Pages Continue

4832-577: Is crisscrossed by several trade routes, some of which have been in use for thousands of years. Among the most important are those from Kalgan (at the Great Wall) to Ulaanbaatar (960 km (597 mi)); from Jiuquan (in Gansu ) to Hami 670 km (416 mi); from Hami to Beijing (2,000 km (1,243 mi)); from Hohhot to Hami and Barkul; and from Lanzhou (in Gansu) to Hami. The southwestern portion of

4983-564: Is derived from the Greek θερίζω ( therízo , meaning scythe, reap or cut) and σαῦρος ( sauros , meaning lizard) in reference to the enormous manual unguals, and the specific name , cheloniformis , is taken from the Greek χελώνη ( chelóni , meaning turtle) and Latin formis as the remains were thought to belong to a turtle-like reptile . Maleev also coined a separate family for this new and enigmatic taxon : Therizinosauridae . Since little

5134-596: Is discouraged by both the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature and the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants , there are some five thousand such names in use in more than one kingdom. For instance, A list of generic homonyms (with their authorities), including both available (validly published) and selected unavailable names, has been compiled by the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG). The type genus forms

5285-627: Is extremely diversified, although there are no great differences in vertical elevation. Between Ulaanbaatar ( 48°00′N 107°00′E  /  48.000°N 107.000°E  / 48.000; 107.000 ) and the small lake of Iren-dubasu-nor ( 43°45′N 111°50′E  /  43.750°N 111.833°E  / 43.750; 111.833 ), the surface is greatly eroded. Broad flat depressions and basins are separated by groups of flat-topped mountains of relatively low elevation 150 to 180 m (490 to 590 ft), through which archaic rocks crop out as crags and isolated rugged masses. The floors of

5436-670: Is far better resourced) and whether Rio Tinto will pay adequate taxes on the revenues it derives from the mine (an agreement was reached whereby the operation will be exempt from windfall tax ). The Gobi Desert is expanding through desertification , most rapidly on the southern edge into China, which is seeing 3,600 km (1,390 sq mi) of grassland overtaken every year. Dust storms increased in frequency between 1996 and 2016, causing further damage to China's agriculture economy. However, in some areas desertification has been slowed or reversed. The northern and eastern boundaries between desert and grassland are constantly changing. This

5587-666: Is fringed by a string of deep depressions, ranging from Lukchun (130 m (427 ft) below sea level) to Hami (850 m (2,789 ft) above sea-level). To the south of the Kuruk-tagh lie the desert of Lop Nur , the Kum-tagh desert, and the valley of the Bulunzir-gol . To this great swelling, which arches up between the two border-ranges of the Chol-tagh and Kuruk-tagh, the Mongols give

5738-645: Is mainly composed by fluvial sediments , while middle and upper members consist of alluvial plain , paludal , lacustrine , and fluvial sedimentation. The environments that Therizinosaurus inhabited have been determined by the sedimentation across the formation, the δ13C level preserved on the tooth enamel of many herbivorous dinosaurs and the numerous petrified wood across the formation. They consisted of large meandering and braided rivers with extensive woodlands composed of large, enclosed, canopy -like forests of Araucarias that supported diverse herbivorous dinosaurs like Therizinosaurus . The climate of

5889-507: Is more likely that Therizinosaurus make use of its hands in a hook-and-pull fashion to pull or grasp vegetation within reach. This herbivorous behavior would make therizinosaurs mostly similar to the extant anteaters and the extinct ground sloths . Lautenschlager could neither confirm nor disregard that the hand claws could have been used for defense, intraspecific competition , stabilization by grasping tree trunks during high browsing, sexual dimorphism , or gripping mates during mating given

6040-501: Is mostly due to the climate conditions before the growing season, which influence the rate of evapotranspiration and subsequent plant growth. The expansion of the Gobi is attributed mostly to human activities, locally driven by deforestation , overgrazing , and depletion of water resources, as well as to climate change . China has tried various plans to slow the expansion of the desert, which have met with some success. The Three-North Shelter Forest Program (or "Green Great Wall")

6191-460: Is somewhat arbitrary. Although all species within a genus are supposed to be "similar", there are no objective criteria for grouping species into genera. There is much debate among zoologists about whether enormous, species-rich genera should be maintained, as it is extremely difficult to come up with identification keys or even character sets that distinguish all species. Hence, many taxonomists argue in favor of breaking down large genera. For instance,

Therizinosaurus - Misplaced Pages Continue

6342-592: Is the sixth largest desert in the world . The name of the desert comes from the Mongolian word gobi , used to refer to all of the waterless regions in the Mongolian Plateau ; in Chinese, gobi is used to refer to rocky, semi-deserts such as the Gobi itself rather than sandy deserts. The Gobi measures 1,600 km (1,000 mi) from southwest to northeast and 800 km (500 mi) from north to south. The desert

6493-474: Is the type species , and the generic name is permanently associated with the type specimen of its type species. Should the specimen turn out to be assignable to another genus, the generic name linked to it becomes a junior synonym and the remaining taxa in the former genus need to be reassessed. In zoological usage, taxonomic names, including those of genera, are classified as "available" or "unavailable". Available names are those published in accordance with

6644-702: Is widest in the west, along the line joining the Lake Bosten and the Lop Nor (87°–89° east). Its area is approximately 1,295,000 square kilometres (500,000 sq mi). Gobi includes the long stretch of desert extending from the foot of the Pamirs (77° east) to the Greater Khingan Mountains, 116–118° east, on the border of Manchuria ; and from the foothills of the Altay, Sayan , and Yablonoi mountain ranges on

6795-570: The cervical vertebrae series of Nanshiungosaurus . The most distinctive feature of Therizinosaurus was the presence of gigantic unguals on each of the three digits of its hands. These were common among therizinosaurs but particularly large and stiffened in Therizinosaurus , and they are considered as the longest known from any terrestrial animal. The arm of Therizinosaurus covered 2.4 m (7.9 ft) in total length (humerus, radius and second metacarpal with phalanges lengths). The scapula measured 67 cm (26 in) long with

6946-965: The Barun Goyot Formation , as evidenced on the presence of Nemegtomaia in both regions. It has been previously suggested that the Nemegt Formation may have been similar to the modern-day Okavango Delta , which is also composed of mesic (well-watered) surroundings. The paleofauna of the Nemegt Formation was diverse and rich, composed of other dinosaurs such as the alvarezsaurs Mononykus and Nemegtonykus ; deinonychosaurs Adasaurus , and Zanabazar ; ornithomimosaurs Anserimimus and Gallimimus ; oviraptorosaurs Avimimus , Gigantoraptor , Rinchenia and Elmisaurus ; tyrannosaurids Alectrosaurus , Alioramus and possibly Bagaraatan ; ankylosaurids Saichania and Tarchia ; and pachycephalosaurids Homalocephale and Prenocephale . The Nemegt megafauna included

7097-621: The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ; the earliest such name for any taxon (for example, a genus) should then be selected as the " valid " (i.e., current or accepted) name for the taxon in question. Consequently, there will be more available names than valid names at any point in time; which names are currently in use depending on the judgement of taxonomists in either combining taxa described under multiple names, or splitting taxa which may bring available names previously treated as synonyms back into use. "Unavailable" names in zoology comprise names that either were not published according to

7248-799: The International Plant Names Index for plants in general, and ferns through angiosperms, respectively, and Nomenclator Zoologicus and the Index to Organism Names for zoological names. Totals for both "all names" and estimates for "accepted names" as held in the Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG) are broken down further in the publication by Rees et al., 2020 cited above. The accepted names estimates are as follows, broken down by kingdom: The cited ranges of uncertainty arise because IRMNG lists "uncertain" names (not researched therein) in addition to known "accepted" names;

7399-586: The Mesolithic from 13500 cal BP to 8000 cal BP. During this time people began using oases . It is characterized by: Oasis II is equivalent to the Neolithic from 8000 cal BP to 5000 cal BP. People used the oases extensively. It was characterized by: Starting around 8000 cal BP there was a warm wet phase in the Gobi desert. By 7500 cal BP lake levels in the Western Gobi reached their peak. Around this time there

7550-691: The Nemegt Basin in the northwestern part of the Gobi Desert (in Mongolia), which is noted for its fossil treasures, including early mammals , dinosaur eggs , and prehistoric stone implements , some 100,000 years old. Despite the harsh conditions, these deserts and the surrounding regions sustain many animal species. Some are even unique, including black-tailed gazelles , marbled polecats , wild Bactrian camels , Mongolian wild ass and sandplovers . They are occasionally visited by snow leopards , Gobi bears , and wolves . Lizards are especially well-adapted to

7701-523: The climate of the Gobi is one of great extremes, with rapid changes of temperature of as much as 35 °C (63 °F) in 24-hour spans. In southern Mongolia, the temperature has been recorded as low as −32.8 °C (−27.0 °F). In contrast, in Alxa , Inner Mongolia, it rises as high as 37 °C (99 °F) in July. Average winter minimums are a frigid −21 °C (−6 °F), while summertime maximums are

SECTION 50

#1732858923811

7852-417: The crocodylomorph Paralligator . As the sediments in which Therizinosaurus remains have been found are fluvial-based, it is suggested that it may have preferred to forage on riparian areas. Therizinosaurus due to its prominent height and high-browsing lifestyle, was one of the tallest dinosaurs in the Nemegt Formation paleofauna. It probably had no significant competition with other herbivores over

8003-419: The nomenclature codes , which allow each species a single unique name that, for animals (including protists ), plants (also including algae and fungi ) and prokaryotes ( bacteria and archaea ), is Latin and binomial in form; this contrasts with common or vernacular names , which are non-standardized, can be non-unique, and typically also vary by country and language of usage. Except for viruses ,

8154-416: The ornithomimosaur Deinocheirus ; hadrosaurids Barsboldia and Saurolophus ; titanosaurs Nemegtosaurus and Opisthocoelicaudia ; and the apex predator Tarbosaurus . Additional paleofauna includes birds like Judinornis or Teviornis ; abundant freshwater ostracods at numerous localities; fish ; terrestrial and aquatic turtles such as Mongolochelys and Nemegtemys ; and

8305-404: The platypus belongs to the genus Ornithorhynchus although George Shaw named it Platypus in 1799 (these two names are thus synonyms ) . However, the name Platypus had already been given to a group of ambrosia beetles by Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Herbst in 1793. A name that means two different things is a homonym . Since beetles and platypuses are both members of the kingdom Animalia,

8456-508: The Cretaceous period. He based the idea on anatomical traits such as the skull and similar configuration. He maintained his position in 1988 by placing the Segnosauria into the now obsolete Phytodinosauria , and was one of the first to suggest a segnosaur assignment for the enigmatic Therizinosaurus . Other prominent paleontologists like Jacques Gauthier or Paul Sereno supported this vision. In 1990, Barsbold and Teresa Maryanska agreed in that

8607-529: The Ghashiun-Gobi and the Kuruk-tagh is determined by the aforementioned arrangements of the latitudinal valleys. Most of the principal streams, instead of flowing straight down these valleys, cross them diagonally and only turn west after they have cut their way through one or more of the transverse barrier ranges. To the highest range on the great swelling Grigory Grum-Grshimailo gives the name of Tuge-tau , its altitude being 2,700 m (8,858 ft) above

8758-679: The Gobi (known also as the Xitao or the "Little Gobi") encompasses the distance between the great northern loop of the Yellow River to the east, the Ejin River to the west, and the Qilian Mountains and narrow rocky chain of Longshou, 3,200 to 3,500 m (10,500 to 11,500 ft) in altitude, to the southwest. The Ordos Desert , which covers the northeastern portion of the Ordos Plateau (also near

8909-514: The Gobi are very cold and dry, making it unable to support much plant growth; this cold and dry weather is attributed to Siberian-Mongolian high pressure cells. Hence, the icy dust and snowstorms of spring and early summer plus early January (winter). The Gobi Desert is the source of many important fossil finds, including the first dinosaur eggs , twenty-six of which, averaging 23 centimetres (9 in) in length, were uncovered in 1923. Archeologists and paleontologists have done excavations in

9060-408: The Gobi, including Gobi Gurvansaikhan National Park , Great Gobi A and Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area . The area is vulnerable to trampling by livestock and off-road vehicles (effects from human intervention are greater in the eastern Gobi Desert, where rainfall is heavier and may sustain livestock). In Mongolia, grasslands have been degraded by goats, which are raised by nomadic herders as

9211-521: The Han-gai ( Obruchev 's Gobi formation) which are characteristic of the southern parts of eastern Mongolia, are absent here or occur only in one locality, near the Shara-muren river. They are greatly intersected by gullies or dry watercourses. Water is scarce, with no streams, no lakes, no wells, and precipitation falls seldom. The prevailing winds blow from the west and northwest, and the pall of dust overhangs

SECTION 60

#1732858923811

9362-516: The Lake Bosten, though parted from it by the drift-sand desert of Ak-bel-kum (White Pass Sands), has at first a west-northwest to east-southeast strike, but it gradually curves round like a scimitar towards the east-northeast and at the same time gradually decreases in elevation. At 91° east, where the principal range of the Kuruk-tagh system wheels to the east-northeast, four of its subsidiary ranges terminate, or rather die away somewhat suddenly, on

9513-662: The Therizinosauridae along with the Segnosauridae to be the same group, the former name having taxonomic priority . Due to some primitive characters present in Alxasaurus they coined a new taxonomic rank, the Therizinosauroidea , containing the new taxon and Therizinosauridae. All of the new information provided data on the affinities of the new-named therizinosauroids. Russell and Dong concluded that they were theropods with unusual features. In 1994, Clark and colleagues redescribed

9664-477: The also Mongolian paleontologist Altangerel Perle in 1982 . He regarded the referral of Therizinosaurus and Therizinosauridae to Chelonia (turtles order ) to be unlikely, and hypothesized Therizinosaurus and Segnosaurus —at the time of this description regarded as a theropod dinosaur—to be particularly similar based on their respective scapulocoracoid morphology, only differing in size. Perle referred MPC-D 100/45 to Therizinosaurus given that this specimen

9815-442: The base for higher taxonomic ranks, such as the family name Canidae ("Canids") based on Canis . However, this does not typically ascend more than one or two levels: the order to which dogs and wolves belong is Carnivora ("Carnivores"). The numbers of either accepted, or all published genus names is not known precisely; Rees et al., 2020 estimate that approximately 310,000 accepted names (valid taxa) may exist, out of

9966-549: The brink of a long narrow depression (in which Sven Hedin sees a northeast bay of the former great Central Asian lake of Lop-nor), having over against them the écheloned terminals of similar subordinate ranges of the Pe-shan (Boy-san) system (see below). The Kuruk-tagh is throughout a relatively low, but almost completely barren range, being entirely destitute of animal life, save for hares, antelopes and wild camels, which frequent its few small, widely scattered oases. The vegetation, which

10117-428: The central parts, until the bordering mountains are reached, trees and shrubs are utterly absent. Clay and sand are the predominant formations; the watercourses, especially in the north, being frequently excavated 2 to 3 m (6 ft 7 in to 9 ft 10 in) deep. In many places in the flat, dry valleys or depressions farther south, beds of loess , 5 to 6 m (16 to 20 ft) thick, are exposed. West of

10268-408: The claw function in therizinosaurids and alvarezsaurids , which represent the extremes of theropod claw morphology, suggest that there was no mechanical function identifiable for Therizinosaurus , suggesting the claws on its forelimbs were merely decorative rather than functional and a result of peramorphic growth resulting from increased body size. The remains of Therizinosaurus have been found in

10419-468: The climate of the Gobi Desert, with approximately 30 species distributed across its southern Mongolian border. The most common vegetation in the Gobi desert is shrubs adapted to drought. These shrubs included gray sparrow's saltwort ( Salsola passerina ), gray sagebrush , and low grasses such as needle grass and bridlegrass . Due to livestock grazing, the amount of shrubs in the desert has decreased. Several large nature reserves have been established in

10570-406: The coracoid in life, as the case of the scapular edge. A large foramen was also present on the coracoid. The glenoid was broad and deep, slightly pointing to the outer lateral side. It had robust and convex crest-like borders. The supraglenoid thickness was developed in a convex crest-shaped form, it was divided across the top of the scapulocoracoid suture. The attachment for the biceps muscle

10721-535: The country as in the Taklamakan and the desert of Lop . Characteristic of the flora are wild garlic, Kalidium gracile , wormwood , saxaul , Nitraria schoberi , Caragana , Ephedra , saltwort and the grass Lasiagrostis splendens . The taana wild onion Allium polyrrhizum is the main browse eaten by many herd animals, and Mongolians claim that this is essential in producing the proper, hazelnut-like notes of camel airag (fermented milk). The vast desert

10872-437: The depressions lie mostly between 900 and 1,000 m (3,000 and 3,300 ft) above sea-level. Further south, between Iren-dutiasu-nor and the Yellow River , comes a region of broad tablelands alternating with flat plains, the latter ranging at altitudes of 1000–1100 m and the former at 1,070 to 1,200 m (3,510 to 3,940 ft). The slopes of the plateaus are more or less steep and are sometimes penetrated by "bays" of

11023-436: The discovery of the referred hindlimb to Therizinosaurus in 1982 by Perle, he concluded that Segnosaurus was very similar to the latter based on the morphology and they possibly belonged to a single, if not the same, group. In 1983, Barsbold named a new genus of segnosaur, Enigmosaurus . He analyzed the pelvis of the new genus and pointed out that segnosaurids were so different from other theropods that they could be outside

11174-418: The elongated claws were used for defense against predators and juveniles could have used their claws for arboreal locomotion , in a similar way to the modern-day sloths or hoatzin chicks. In 2014, Lautenschlager tested the function of various therizinosaur hand claws —including Therizinosaurus —through digital simulations. Three different functional scenarios were simulated for each claw morphology with

11325-965: The family Therizinosauridae but this time with the inclusion of more taxa and specimens. The cladogram below shows the placement of Therizinosaurus within Therizinosauria according to Hartman and colleagues in 2019: Suzhousaurus [REDACTED] Neimongosaurus [REDACTED] Therizinosaurus [REDACTED] Erliansaurus [REDACTED] Nanchao embryos [REDACTED] Nanshiungosaurus [REDACTED] Segnosaurus [REDACTED] AMNH 6368 [REDACTED] Erlikosaurus [REDACTED] Nothronychus mckinleyi [REDACTED] Nothronychus graffami [REDACTED] In 1993 Dale A. Russell and Donald E. Russell analyzed Therizinosaurus and Chalicotherium , and noted similarities in their respective body plan , even though they form part of different groups. Both genera had large, well-developed, and relatively strong arms;

11476-411: The first carpal to the second carpal over the articulation of the two bones. The metacarpal I was 14.55 cm (5.73 in) long and compared to the others it was more stockier. Its lateral side was broad, especially on the uppermost area; the inner border was thin and narrow. The upper articulation was configured into three parts. The lower articular surface was somewhat asymmetric and bent to

11627-470: The first toe was reduced to a dewclaw and also resembling the very distantly related sauropodomorphs . It was one of the last and the largest representative of its unique group, the Therizinosauria (formerly known as Segnosauria; the segnosaurs). During and after its original description in 1954, Therizinosaurus had rather complex relationships due to the lack of complete specimens and relatives at

11778-409: The foliage, however, a niche partitioning with the titanosaurs—also long-necked dinosaurs—of the formation could have occurred. If Therizinosaurus was a grazer, on the other hand, it would have competed with contemporary grazers such as Saurolophus . Although small predators like dromaeosaurids and troodontids did not represent a threat to Therizinosaurus , the only other predator rivaling in size

11929-829: The foot of the mountains, with barren shingle. Although on the whole a level country with a general altitude of 1,000 to 1,500 m (3,300 to 4,900 ft), this section, like most other parts of the Gobi, is crowned by a network of hills and broken ranges of at least 300 m in elevation. The vegetation is confined to a few varieties of bushes and a dozen kinds of grasses and herbs, the most conspicuous being saxaul ( Haloxylon ammondendron ) and Agriophyllum gobicum . The others include prickly convolvulus , field wormwood ( Artemisia campestris ), acacia , Inula ammophila , Sophora flavescens , Convolvulus ammanii , Peganum and Astragalus species, but all dwarfed, deformed and starved. The fauna consists of little but antelope, wolf, fox, hare, hedgehog, marten, numerous lizards and

12080-446: The form "author, year" in zoology, and "standard abbreviated author name" in botany. Thus in the examples above, the genus Canis would be cited in full as " Canis Linnaeus, 1758" (zoological usage), while Hibiscus , also first established by Linnaeus but in 1753, is simply " Hibiscus L." (botanical usage). Each genus should have a designated type , although in practice there is a backlog of older names without one. In zoology, this

12231-468: The formation was relatively temperate (mean annual temperatures between 7.6 and 8.7 °C), characterized by monsoons with cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers with the addition of mean annual precipitations between 775 mmm and 835 mmm, a precipitation that was subject to prominent seasonal fluctuations . The wet environments of the Nemegt Formation may have acted as an oasis -like area that attracted oviraptorids from arid neighbour localities such as

12382-727: The generic name (or its abbreviated form) still forms the leading portion of the scientific name, for example, Canis lupus lupus for the Eurasian wolf subspecies, or as a botanical example, Hibiscus arnottianus ssp. immaculatus . Also, as visible in the above examples, the Latinised portions of the scientific names of genera and their included species (and infraspecies, where applicable) are, by convention, written in italics . The scientific names of virus species are descriptive, not binomial in form, and may or may not incorporate an indication of their containing genus; for example,

12533-464: The great northern loop of the Yellow River) is part of this ecoregion within the middle basin of three great depressions into which Potanin divides the Gobi. "Topographically," says Nikolai Przhevalsky , "it is a perfectly level plain, which in all probability once formed the bed of a huge lake or inland sea." He concludes this based on the level area of the region as a whole, the hard saline clay and

12684-414: The ground. Maleev originally classified Therizinosaurus as a giant marine turtle and the genus was assigned by him to a separate family, Therizinosauridae given how enigmatic the specimen was. The fossils remained with uncertainty among the scientific community; however, in 1970 Rozhdestvensky was one of the first paleontologists to suggest that Therizinosaurus was actually a theropod dinosaur instead of

12835-457: The group or represent a different lineage of theropod dinosaurs. Later on the same year, he intensified the exclusion of segnosaurs from being theropods by noting that their pelves resembled those of sauropod dinosaurs. Consequently, the assignment of segnosaurs started to shift towards sauropodomorphs. In 1984, Gregory S. Paul claimed that segnosaurs, rather than being theropods, were indeed sauropodomorphs that successfully managed to remain in

12986-469: The hindlimb material from Hermiin Tsav referred to Therizinosaurus in 1982 was segnosaurian since it matched several traits, but considered it unlikely to belong to the genus and species as there was no overlapping material among specimens. Barsbold and Maryanska also disagreed with previous researchers who classified Deinocheirus as a segnosaur. In the same year, David B. Norman considered Therizinosaurus to be

13137-511: The holotype unguals were more likely to have belonged to a carnosaurian theropod, rather than a large marine turtle. Further expeditions in the Nemegt Formation unearthed more fossils of Therizinosaurus . In 1968 prior to Rozhdestvensky, Osmólska and Roniewicz statements, the upper portion of a manual ungual was found in the Altan Uul locality and labeled as MPC-D 100/17 (formerly IGM or GIN). In 1972, another fragmented ungual (specimen MPC-D 100/16)

13288-412: The hook-and-pull scenario, in contrast, resulted in lower magnitudes, and lesser ones were found in the piercing scenario. Particularly, the overall stress was most pronounced in the unusual claws of Therizinosaurus , which may represent an exceptional case of elongation specialization . Lautenschlager noted the more strongly curved and elongate claws of some therizinosaurian taxa were poorly functional in

13439-544: The idea that Therizinosaurus and other therizinosaurians used their arms in a robust fashion that generated significant forces. They also suggested that the prominent claws of some members could have been used as a defense against predators and other various functions. Unlike the generally light and agile ornithomimosaurs who avoided predation with speed, Therizinosaurus and relatives relied on arms and claws to face threats (and were generally slow-runners to begin with). A 2023 study by Qin, Rayfield, Benton et al., regarding

13590-468: The increasing aridity between 3500 cal BP and 3000 cal BP there was a decline in human habitation in the Gobi desert. Prehistoric petroglyphs have been found in Southern Mongolia in 1997. The Gobi had a long history of human habitation, mostly by nomadic peoples. The name of Gobi means desert in Mongolian. The region was inhabited mostly by Mongols , Uyghurs , and Kazakhs . The Gobi Desert as

13741-420: The inner side from the left one, along with a wide and deep opening. The total length of this metacarpal was larger than 2/3 the length of metacarpal III, which may have been a unique trait of Therizinosaurus . The metacarpal II measured 28.68 cm (11.29 in) in length and was the most elongated and robust metacarpal. It had an inclined, square-shaped, and flattened upper articulation. The articulation on

13892-426: The kracenard pine rallies, running perpendicular and far from one another. As they proceed south, they transcend and transpose, sweeping back on east and west respectively, with Lake Bosten in between. These two ranges mark the northern and the southern edges respectively of a great swelling, which extends eastward for nearly twenty degrees of longitude. On its northern side, the Chol-tagh descends steeply, and its foot

14043-554: The lack of more specimens. He clarified that there is no evidence that the long claws of Therizinosaurus would have been used in active defense or attack, however, it is possible that these appendages could have had some role when facing a threat, such as intimidation. Scott A. Lee and Zachary Richards in 2018 based on bending resistance measurements of several dinosaur humeri, found the humeri of carnosaur , therizinosaur , and tyrannosaur dinosaurs to be relatively resilient to stress. This increased ability to withstand stress supports

14194-628: The largest component, with 23,236 ± 5,379 accepted genus names, of which 20,845 ± 4,494 are angiosperms (superclass Angiospermae). By comparison, the 2018 annual edition of the Catalogue of Life (estimated >90% complete, for extant species in the main) contains currently 175,363 "accepted" genus names for 1,744,204 living and 59,284 extinct species, also including genus names only (no species) for some groups. The number of species in genera varies considerably among taxonomic groups. For instance, among (non-avian) reptiles , which have about 1180 genera,

14345-415: The largest therizinosaur known and the largest known maniraptoran. Along with the contemporaneous ornithomimosaur Deinocheirus , it was the largest maniraptoriform . Though the body remains of Therizinosaurus are relatively incomplete, inferences can be made about its physical characteristics based on more complete and related therizinosaurids . Like other members of its family, Therizinosaurus had

14496-447: The lateral connecting openings were poorly developed. Only the second digit of the manus is known in Therizinosaurus . It consisted of two phalanges and a large ungual . The first and second phalanges were somewhat equal in shape and length (14.17 cm (5.58 in) and 14.38 cm (5.66 in), respectively), and shared the robust and stocky structure. The upper articular facets were very symmetrical and had

14647-399: The length of the whole bone element. The lower end of the humerus was very expanded and flared. The condyles were developed onto the anterior side of the lower expansion while the epicondyles were very broad and projected over the limits of the articular areas. The ulna measured 62.02 cm (24.42 in) and most of its length was occupied by its straight shaft. The ulnar process

14798-509: The level of the sea and some 1,200 m (3,937 ft) above the crown of the swelling itself. This range he considers to belong to the Choltagh system, whereas Sven Hedin would assign it to the Kuruk-tagh. This last, which is pretty certainly identical with the range of Kharateken-ula (also known as the Kyzyl-sanghir , Sinir , and Singher Mountains ), that overlooks the southern shore of

14949-416: The lizard genus Anolis has been suggested to be broken down into 8 or so different genera which would bring its ~400 species to smaller, more manageable subsets. Gobi Desert The Gobi Desert ( Mongolian : Говь , ᠭᠣᠪᠢ , / ˈ ɡ oʊ b i / ; Chinese : 戈壁 ; pinyin : gēbì ) is a large, cold desert and grassland region located in northern China and southern Mongolia . It

15100-416: The lower head had very symmetrical condyles, being divided by a broad, deep depression. The lateral connecting openings were poorly developed. The metacarpal III covered 19.16 cm (7.54 in) in length and had a very thin shaft compared to the other metacarpals. Its upper articulation was divided into three parts. The lower articular head was asymmetrical with deep and broad openings. As in metacarpal II,

15251-467: The lowlands. As the border-range of the Hyangan is approached, the country steadily rises up to 1,370 m (4,490 ft) and then to 1,630 m (5,350 ft). Here small lakes frequently fill the depressions, though the water in them is generally salty or brackish. Both here and for 320 km (199 mi) south of Ulaanbaatar, streams are frequent and grass grows more or less abundantly. Through all

15402-462: The main objective of new fossils findings. The expeditions unearthed numerous dinosaur and turtle fossil remains from the stratotype locality Nemegt (also known as Nemegt Valley), but the most notable elements collected were three partial manual unguals (claw bones) of considerable size. This set of unguals was found on a subdivision of the Nemegt locality designated as Quarry V near the skeleton of

15553-403: The modern-day gorillas . Because the animals with this type of body plan are known to represent herbivores , the authors suggested this lifestyle for Therizinosaurus . Russell and Russell reconstructed the feeding behavior of Therizinosaurus as being able to sit while consuming foliage from large shrubs and trees . The plant material would have been harvested with its hands and this action

15704-403: The most (>300) have only 1 species, ~360 have between 2 and 4 species, 260 have 5–10 species, ~200 have 11–50 species, and only 27 genera have more than 50 species. However, some insect genera such as the bee genera Lasioglossum and Andrena have over 1000 species each. The largest flowering plant genus, Astragalus , contains over 3,000 species. Which species are assigned to a genus

15855-428: The name could not be used for both. Johann Friedrich Blumenbach published the replacement name Ornithorhynchus in 1800. However, a genus in one kingdom is allowed to bear a scientific name that is in use as a generic name (or the name of a taxon in another rank) in a kingdom that is governed by a different nomenclature code. Names with the same form but applying to different taxa are called "homonyms". Although this

16006-439: The name of Ghashuun-Gobi or "Salt Desert". It is some 130 to 160 km (81 to 99 mi) across from north to south, and is traversed by a number of minor parallel ranges, ridges and chains of hills. Down its middle runs a broad stony valley, 40 to 80 km (25 to 50 mi) wide, at an elevation of 900 to 1,370 m (2,950 to 4,490 ft). The Chol-tagh, which reaches an average altitude of 1,800 m (5,900 ft),

16157-675: The north to the Kunlun , Altyn-Tagh , and Qilian mountain ranges, which form the northern edges of the Tibetan Plateau , on the south. A relatively large area on the east side of the Greater Khingan range, between the upper waters of the Songhua (Sungari) and the upper waters of the Liao-ho, is reckoned to belong to the Gobi by conventional usage. Some geographers and ecologists prefer to regard

16308-414: The others—functional and weight-bearing. The second and third were equally long while the fourth was smaller and somewhat thinner. The pedal unguals were side to side flattened and likely sharp. The morphology of the feet of Therizinosaurus and other therizinosaurids was unique, as the general theropod formula includes tridactyl (three-toed) feet in which the first toe was reduced to a dewclaw and held off

16459-401: The pelvic girdle was robust and suited for a sitting behavior; and the hindlimb (particularly the foot) structure was robust and shortened. They considered these adaptations to represent an example of convergent evolution —a condition where organisms evolve similar traits without necessarily being related—between extinct mammal and dinosaur genera. Moreover, the body plan is somewhat exhibited by

16610-410: The principal ranges, divide the region into a series of long; narrow valleys, mostly parallel to one another and to the enclosing mountain chains, which descend like terraced steps, on the one side towards the depression of Lukchun and on the other towards the desert of Lop. In many cases these latitudinal valleys are barred transversely by ridges or spurs, generally elevations en masse of the bottom of

16761-526: The provisions of the ICZN Code, e.g., incorrect original or subsequent spellings, names published only in a thesis, and generic names published after 1930 with no type species indicated. According to "Glossary" section of the zoological Code, suppressed names (per published "Opinions" of the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature) remain available but cannot be used as the valid name for

16912-399: The ranges from 200 to 500 m (660 to 1,640 ft) higher, though in a few cases they reach altitudes of 2,400 m (7,900 ft). The elevations do not form continuous chains, but make up a congeries of short ridges and groups rising from a common base and intersected by a labyrinth of ravines, gullies, glens, and basins. But the tablelands , built up of the horizontal red deposits of

17063-790: The referral of MPC-D 100/45 to Therizinosaurus to be likely based on the rationale that it was collected in the same stratigraphic context (Nemegt Formation) as the holotype, and shared the robust and four-toed morphology of other therizinosaurids such as Segnosaurus . She also excluded the rib material from the holotype as it was re-identified by Rozhdestvensky to likely have come from a sauropod dinosaur, and not Therizinosaurus itself. For maniraptoran standards, Therizinosaurus obtained enormous sizes, estimated to have reached 9 to 10 m (30 to 33 ft) in length with estimated heights from 4 to 5 m (13 to 16 ft) and ponderous weights from 3 t (3.3 short tons) to possibly over 5 t (5.5 short tons). These dimensions make Therizinosaurus

17214-528: The rib fragments in MPC-D 100/15 were more slender than the ones from the holotype, and identified MPC-D 100/16 and 100/17 as pertaining to digits I and III, respectively. It was clear to Barsbold that MPC-D 100/15 represented Therizinosaurus as the ungual in this specimen shared the elongation and flattened morphology of all previous specimens. He concluded that Therizinosaurus was a theropod taxon since MPC-D 100/15 matched multiple theropodan characters. Also during

17365-450: The right metacarpus including a complete digit Il, and some ribs with gastralia (belly ribs). As common with fossils, some elements were not entirely preserved such as the scapulocoracoids with broken ends, and the left arm is less complete than the right one. All of these specimens were first described and referred to Therizinosaurus by the Mongolian paleontologist Rinchen Barsbold in 1976 . In this new monograph, he pointed out that

17516-432: The route from Ulaanbaatar to Kalgan , the country presents approximately the same general features, except that the mountains are not so irregularly scattered in groups but have more strongly defined strikes, mostly east to west, west-north-west to east-south-east, and west-south-west to east-north-east. The altitudes are higher, those of the lowlands ranging from 1,000 to 1,700 m (3,300 to 5,600 ft), and those of

17667-466: The same kind as other (analogous) genera. The term "genus" comes from Latin genus , a noun form cognate with gignere ('to bear; to give birth to'). The Swedish taxonomist Carl Linnaeus popularized its use in his 1753 Species Plantarum , but the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656–1708) is considered "the founder of the modern concept of genera". The scientific name (or

17818-474: The sand-strewn surface and, lastly, the salt lakes which occupy its lowest parts. For hundreds of kilometers, nothing can be seen but bare sands; in some places, they continue so far without a break that the Mongols call them Tengger (i.e. sky). These vast expanses are absolutely waterless, nor do any oases relieve the unbroken stretches of yellow sand, which alternate with equally vast areas of saline clay or, nearer

17969-408: The scientific epithet) of a genus is also called the generic name ; in modern style guides and science, it is always capitalised. It plays a fundamental role in binomial nomenclature , the system of naming organisms , where it is combined with the scientific name of a species : see Botanical name and Specific name (zoology) . The rules for the scientific names of organisms are laid down in

18120-495: The segnosaurian identity for this taxon since it was only known from the pectoral girdle and other forelimb elements, making direct comparisons between specimens impossible. They considered this specimen to represent a Late Cretaceous representative of the Segnosauria, but not Therizinosaurus . In 2010 however, the North American paleontologist Lindsay E. Zanno in her large taxonomic reevaluation of Therizinosauria considered

18271-588: The snow and glaciers of the high mountains break through barren foothill ranges and flow out into an immense, hollow plain. Here the rivers begin to straggle and fan out, and form great marshes with dense reed-beds. Westerners call this terrain the Dzungarian desert. The Chinese also call it a desert, but the Mongols call it a 'gobi'—that is, a land of thin herbage, more suitable for camels than for cows, but capable also, if herds are kept small and moved frequently, of sustaining horses, sheep, and goats. The herbage comprises

18422-497: The specific name particular to the wolf. A botanical example would be Hibiscus arnottianus , a particular species of the genus Hibiscus native to Hawaii. The specific name is written in lower-case and may be followed by subspecies names in zoology or a variety of infraspecific names in botany . When the generic name is already known from context, it may be shortened to its initial letter, for example, C. lupus in place of Canis lupus . Where species are further subdivided,

18573-434: The specimen in her taxonomic analysis due to the lack of comparative forelimb remains. She also excluded the supposed ribs that were present on the holotype since they likely came from a different animal and not Therizinosaurus . In 2019 , Hartman and colleagues also performed a large phylogenetic analysis of Therizinosauria based on the characters provided by Zanno in her revision. They found similar results to Zanno regarding

18724-412: The standard format for a species name comprises the generic name, indicating the genus to which the species belongs, followed by the specific epithet, which (within that genus) is unique to the species. For example, the gray wolf 's scientific name is Canis lupus , with Canis ( Latin for 'dog') being the generic name shared by the wolf's close relatives and lupus (Latin for 'wolf') being

18875-403: The taxon is termed a synonym ; some authors also include unavailable names in lists of synonyms as well as available names, such as misspellings, names previously published without fulfilling all of the requirements of the relevant nomenclatural code, and rejected or suppressed names. A particular genus name may have zero to many synonyms, the latter case generally if the genus has been known for

19026-420: The taxonomy of therizinosaurs in extensive detail. She found that many parts on therizinosaur holotype and referred specimens were lost or damaged, and sparse specimens with no overlapping elements were disadvantages when concluding the relationships of the members. Zanno accepted the referral of the specimen IGM 100/45 to Therizinosaurus since it matches multiple therizinosaurid traits, but decided not to include

19177-425: The time. Maleev thought the remains of Therizinosaurus to belong to a large turtle -like reptile, and also named a separate family for the genus: Therizinosauridae . Later on, with the discovery of more complete relatives, Therizinosaurus and kin were thought to represent some kind of Late Cretaceous sauropodomorphs or transitional ornithischians , even though at some point it was suggested that it may have been

19328-417: The tips, a unique feature of Therizinosaurus . The lower tubercle, where the flexor tendons attached to the ungual, was thick and robust, indicating a large pad in life. The articulation surface that connected the preceding phalanx was slightly concave and divided into two by a central ridge. Therizinosaurus had a rather stocky and robust tibia that was very wide on its lower end. The metatarsus

19479-416: The total length of the hindlimbs in Therizinosaurus and Deinocheirus . They concluded that an average Therizinosaurus may have had approximately 3 m (9.8 ft) long legs. More recently, Mike Taylor and Matt Wedel suggested that the whole neck would be 2.9 times the size of the humerus, which was 76 cm (760 mm), resulting in a 2.2 m (7.2 ft) long neck based on comparisons with

19630-478: The unusual shape of both metatarsal and ribs fragments he listed them as sauropod remains. These theropodan affinities were also followed by the Polish paleontologist Halszka Osmólska and co-author Ewa Roniewicz in 1970 during their naming and description of Deinocheirus —another large and enigmatic theropod from the formation that was initially known from partial arms. Similar to Rozhdestvensky, they suggested that

19781-491: The unusually large claws were used to harvest seaweed. This was however, based on the assumption of a giant marine turtle. In 1970, Rozhdestvensky re-examined the claws and suggested a possible function specialized in opening termite mounds or a frugivore diet. Barsbold in 1976 suggested that the unusual claws of Therizinosaurus may have been employed to impale or dig up loose terrain, however, he pointed out their notorious fragility upon impact. In 1995, Lev A. Nessov suggested

19932-400: The upper surface of metacarpal I, occupying a little bit less than the lateral side, which articulates to metacarpal II. These areas were separated by an oblique bony projection. The second lower carpal was smaller than the first one, measuring 5.6 cm (2.2 in) tall and 5.93 cm (2.33 in) wide. Its lower surface was flattened and the articular surface of the carpus extended from

20083-457: The valley. Where such elevations exist, there is generally found, on the east side of the transverse ridge, a cauldron-shaped depression, which some time or other has been the bottom of a former lake, but is now nearly a dry salt-basin. The surface configuration is in fact markedly similar to that which occurs in the inter-mount latitudinal valleys of the Kunlun Mountains . The hydrography of

20234-566: The values quoted are the mean of "accepted" names alone (all "uncertain" names treated as unaccepted) and "accepted + uncertain" names (all "uncertain" names treated as accepted), with the associated range of uncertainty indicating these two extremes. Within Animalia, the largest phylum is Arthropoda , with 151,697 ± 33,160 accepted genus names, of which 114,387 ± 27,654 are insects (class Insecta). Within Plantae, Tracheophyta (vascular plants) make up

20385-451: The very complete skull of Erlikosaurus and even more theropod traits were found this time. They also validated the synonymy of the Segnosauridae with Therizinosauridae and considered therizinosauroids as maniraptoran dinosaurs. In 1997, Rusell coined the infraorder Therizinosauria in order to contain all segnosaurs. This new infraorder was composed of Therizinosauroidea and the more advanced Therizinosauridae. Consequently, Segnosauria became

20536-429: The virus species " Salmonid herpesvirus 1 ", " Salmonid herpesvirus 2 " and " Salmonid herpesvirus 3 " are all within the genus Salmonivirus ; however, the genus to which the species with the formal names " Everglades virus " and " Ross River virus " are assigned is Alphavirus . As with scientific names at other ranks, in all groups other than viruses, names of genera may be cited with their authorities, typically in

20687-401: The well-known Nemegt Formation of the Gobi Desert . Although this formation has never been dated radiometrically because of the discontinuity of exposures and absence of datable volcanic rock facies , the vertebrate fossil assemblage suggests an early Maastrichtian stage possibly about 70 million years ago . The Nemegt Formation is separated into three informal members. The lower member

20838-583: The western area of the Gobi region (as defined above): the basin of the Tarim in Xinjiang and the desert basin of Lop Nor and Hami ( Kumul ), as forming a separate and independent desert, called the Taklamakan Desert . Much of the Gobi is not sandy, instead resembling exposed bare rock. The Gobi is overall a cold desert, with frost and occasionally snow occurring on its dunes . Besides being quite far north, it

20989-678: The year 1973, the specimen MPC-D 100/45 was discovered by the Joint Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition at the Hermiin Tsav locality. Unlike the previous findings, MPC-D 100/45 is represented by a right hindlimb composed of a very fragmented femur with the lower end of the tibia , astragalus , calcaneum , tarsal IV, a functional tetradacyl feet (four-toed) compromising four partial metatarsals , partially preserved digits I and III, and nearly complete digits II and IV. These newer remains were described by

21140-544: Was Tarbosaurus . Because of the greater height of Therizinosaurus , a large Tarbosaurus may have been not able to bite any higher than the thighs or belly of an adult standing Therizinosaurus . The elongated claws may have been useful for self-defense or to intimidate the predator during this situation. It is also possible that Therizinosaurus competed for other various resources with Deinocheirus , Saurolophus , Nemegtosaurus and Opisthocoelicaudia . [REDACTED] [REDACTED] Genus The composition of

21291-407: Was a theropod and not a turtle. He made comparisons between Chilantaisaurus and the holotype unguals of Therizinosaurus to propose that the appendages actually came from a carnosaurian dinosaur, thereby interpreting Therizinosaurus as a theropod. Rozhdestvensky also illustrated the three holotypic manual unguals and re-identified the metacarpal fragment as a metatarsal bone, and based on

21442-491: Was discovered at the Upper White Beds of the Hermiin Tsav locality, only preserving its lower portion. During the year 1973, a much more complete, larger, and articulated specimen was collected also from Hermiin Tsav. This specimen was labelled as MPC-D 100/15 and consists of both left and right arms including the scapulocoracoids , both humeri (upper arm bones), right ulna with radius and left ulna, two right carpals ,

21593-443: Was flattened in a lateral direction, very wide, and the distal end was highly robust. The first lower carpal bone measured 8.23 cm (3.24 in) tall and 8.53 cm (3.36 in) wide and had two articulation surfaces on its lowermost end. The upper surface of this carpal was divided by a broad depression that formed the articulation of the carpus . On its inner side, it had a triangular-shaped outline that attached to

21744-467: Was found near the location of MPC-D 100/15 and was virtually similar to the described pes for Segnosaurus . In 1990, Barsbold and Teresa Maryanska agreed with Perle in that the hindlimb material from Hermiin Tsav he described in 1982 was therizinosaurian (then called segnosaurians) given that the metatarsus was stocky and the astragalus had a laterally arched ascending process (bony extension), but cast doubt with his referral of it to Therizinosaurus and

21895-496: Was known of Therizinosaurus at the time of the original description, Maleev thought PIN 551-483 belonged to a large, 4.5 m (15 ft) long turtle-like reptile that relied on its giant hand claws to harvest seaweed. Though it was not fully understood to what general kind of animal these fossils belonged, in 1970 , the Russian paleontologist Anatoly K. Rozhdestvensky was one of the first authors to suggest that Therizinosaurus

22046-419: Was likely favored by its elongated neck which prevented the use of large amounts of force and effort. As its arms were long enough to have touched the ground during certain stances, they could have helped the dinosaur to rise from a prone position. If browsing in a bipedal stance, Therizinosaurus may have been able to reach even higher vegetation supported by its short and robust feet. Whereas Chalicotherium

22197-491: Was meadow steppe vegetation around lakes. In Ulaan Nuur there may have been shrubby riparian woodlands. Oasis III is equivalent to the Bronze Age from 5000 cal BP to 3000 cal BP. It is characterized by: Bronze Age herder burials have been found in the Gobi desert, as well as Karasuk bronze knives, and Mongolian deer stones . Between 5000 cal BP and 4500 cal BP there was a period of desertification . Due to

22348-414: Was more suited to hook branches, Therizinosaurus was better at pushing large clumps of foliage because of its long claws. It is also possible that Therizinosaurus was less capable of great precision in its movements than was Chalicotherium , due to the latter having more developed brain , dental and muscular capacities. Anthony R. Fiorillo and colleagues in 2018 suggested that Therizinosaurus had

22499-410: Was prominently developed by a large tubercle with a stocky top, indicating powerful muscles in life. The humerus was robustly built, measuring 76 cm (30 in) long. It had a broad upper end. The deltopectoral crest ( deltoid muscle attachment) was particularly long and thick, with its top located approximately 1/3 from the upper end. The length of the crest was no less than 2/3

22650-435: Was robust and short (almost sauropodomorph -like), and composed of five metatarsals . The first four were functional and terminated in weight-bearing digits, hence having a tetradactyl (four-toed) condition. The last or fifth metatarsal was highly reduced bone located at the lateral side of the metatarsus and had no functional significance. Unlike most other theropods groups, the first pedal digit was—though shorter than

22801-453: Was very wide. The upper articular area was divided into inner and outer lateral sides. The lateral side had a triangular-shaped border and was slightly concave; it was limited in a top view by the depression for the upper articulation of the radius. The inner side formed a semilunar-shaped depression that covered the lunar-shaped condyle of the humerus. The radius was 55.04 cm (21.67 in) long and slightly S-curved . Its upper end

#810189