Bagaraatan

Bagaraatan; Temporal range: Late Cretaceous, 70 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N ↓
	Caudal vertebra
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	Theropoda
Clade:	†Pantyrannosauria
Genus:	†Bagaraatan; Osmolska, 1996
Type species
	†Bagaraatan ostromi; Osmolska, 1996

Bagaraatan (/'ba-ɣa-raa-tan/ meaning 'small' baɣa + 'carnivorous animal, beast of prey' araatan in Mongolian) is a 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 to 4 metres (9.8 to 13 ft) in length.

The type species, B. ostromi, was described by Osmolska in 1996. The post-cranial ( MgD-I/108) skeleton has been described as "bird-like", while the skull exhibits features of several different theropod groups.

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 Bagaraatan as a basal tyrannosauroid, Coria identified it as a troodontid, and Rauhut placed it in Maniraptora.^[1] et al. placed it in basal Tyrannosauroidea, agreeing with the placement by Holtz.^[2]

Below is the cladogram by Loewen et al. in 2013.^[2]

Tyrannosauroidea

Proceratosauridae

	Proceratosaurus bradleyi

	Kileskus aristotocus

	Guanlong wucaii

Sinotyrannus kazuoensis

	Juratyrant langhami

	Stokesosaurus clevelandi

Dilong paradoxus

Eotyrannus lengi

Bagaraatan ostromi

Raptorex kriegsteini

Dryptosaurus aquilunguis

	Alectrosaurus olseni

	Xiongguanlong baimoensis

Appalachiosaurus montgomeriensis

	Alioramus altai

	Alioramus remotus

Tyrannosauridae

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References[]

^ O. W. M. Rauhut (2003). The interrelationships and evolution of basal theropod dinosaurs. Special Papers in Palaeontology 69: 1-213.
^ ^a ^b ; ; ; Currie, P. J.; Sampson, S. D. (2013). Evans, David C (ed.). "Tyrant Dinosaur Evolution Tracks the Rise and Fall of Late Cretaceous Oceans". PLoS ONE. 8 (11): e79420. Bibcode:2013PLoSO...879420L. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0079420. PMC 3819173. PMID 24223179.

Sources[]

Osmolska, H. (1996). "An unusual theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Nemegt Formation of Mongolia". Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 41; 1-38 [1]