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Mongolian Bird-like Saurian Saurornithoides mongoliensis<br />
Time: 75 Ma ago Location: Omnogovi, Mongolia Habitat: Bayan Dzak, Djadochta Formation.<br />
Arid desert scrubl<strong>and</strong>. Size: WS unknown; BL 1.5m (4.9ft); TL unknown Features:<br />
Mid-sized relative <strong>to</strong> contemporary species. Snout long & narrow, but broader than<br />
adult Byronosaurus. Teeth w/ large, coarse serrations. Legs long & slender. Biology: Long<br />
tarsi indacte that these were fast runners. Probably fed on small vertebrates such as lizards<br />
& hatchling dinosaurians foraged from the dunes.<br />
Young Zanabazar Zanabazar junior<br />
Time: 70 Ma ago Location: Omnogovi, Mongolia Habitat: Nemegt Formation (see above)<br />
Size: WS unknown; BL 2.5m (8.2ft); TL unknown Features: Large troodontids. Snout long<br />
<strong>and</strong> narrow. Large number of teeth (20 in upper jaw, 35 in lower jaw) w/ large, coarse serrations.<br />
Legs long & slender. Biology: Possibly omnivorous generalists, preferring <strong>to</strong> take<br />
small prey but supplementing with plant material, invertebrates, etc.<br />
Tan’s Linhe Hunter Linhevena<strong>to</strong>r tani<br />
Time: 75 Ma ago Location: Inner Mongolia, China Habitat: Wulansuhai Formation Size:<br />
WS unknown; BL ~1.7m (5.6ft); TL unknown Features: Snout relatively long but w/ broad<br />
skull caused by flared jugal bones. Wings small but robust & powerful. Sickle claw unusually<br />
large among troodontids. Biology: Thr large sickle claw likely evolved in parallel w/<br />
eudromaeosaurians, indicating a similar prey capture strategy in this species. The arms are<br />
short as in <strong>other</strong> troodontids but especially powerful, possibly used in digging, climbing,<br />
or clinging <strong>to</strong> large prey.<br />
Phil Currie’s Hunter Philovena<strong>to</strong>r curriei<br />
Time: 75 Ma ago Location: Omnogovi, Mongolia & Inner Mongolia, China Habitat:<br />
Djadochta & Wulansuhai Formations. Arid desert scrubl<strong>and</strong>. Size: (juvenile) WS unknown;<br />
BL ~75cm (2.5ft); TL unknown Features: Very small troodontines. Head triangular<br />
w/ narrow, pointed snout. Head large, legs long & slender, <strong>and</strong>, unusually, wider from<br />
front <strong>to</strong> back than from side <strong>to</strong> side. Sickle claw unusually small. Biology: Though known<br />
only from subadult (~two-year-old) specimens, some of which were initially considered<br />
juvenile Saurornithoides mongoliensis, these are distinct in several ana<strong>to</strong>mical characteristics,<br />
including a large sheet-like process on the tibia, presumably for anchoring powerful<br />
leg muscles. They appear <strong>to</strong> be more closely related <strong>to</strong> Linhevena<strong>to</strong>r. Additional specimens<br />
from the same time & general area, known as the “Zos Canyon Troodontid”, are probably<br />
the same species (Mortimer 2010). Small sickle claw may indicate less reliance on the foot<br />
talons in prey capture.<br />
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