Timeline of oviraptorosaur research

Restored profiles of various oviraptorids

This timeline of oviraptorosaur research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the oviraptorosaurs, a group of beaked, bird-like theropod dinosaurs. The early history of oviraptorosaur paleontology is characterized by taxonomic confusion due to the unusual characteristics of these dinosaurs. When initially described in 1924 Oviraptor itself was thought to be a member of the Ornithomimidae, popularly known as the "ostrich" dinosaurs, because both taxa share toothless beaks.[1] Early caenagnathid oviraptorosaur discoveries like Caenagnathus itself were also incorrectly classified at the time, having been misidentified as birds.[1]

The hypothesis that caenagnathids were birds was questioned as early as 1956 by Romer, but not corrected until Osmolska formally reclassified them as dinosaurs in 1976. Meanwhile the classification of Oviraptor as an ornithomimid persisted unquestioned by researchers like Romer and Steel until the early 1970s when Dale Russell argued against the idea in 1972. In 1976 when Osmolska recognized Oviraptor's relationship with the Caenagnathids, she also recognized that it was not an ornithomimid and reclassified it as a member of the former family.[1] However, that same year Rinchen Barsbold argued that Oviraptor belonged to a distinct family he named the Oviraptoridae[1] and he also formally named the Oviraptorosauria later in the same year.[2]

Like their classification, the paleobiology of oviraptorosaurs has been subject to controversy and reinterpretation. The first scientifically documented Oviraptor skeleton was found lying on a nest of eggs. Because its powerful parrot-like beak appeared well-adapted to crushing hard food items and the eggs were thought to belonged to the neoceratopsian Protoceratops, oviraptorosaurs were thought to be nest-raiders that preyed on the eggs of other dinosaurs. In the 1980s, Barsbold proposed that oviraptorosaurs used their beaks to crack mollusk shells as well. In 1993, Currie and colleagues hypothesized that small vertebrate prey may have also been part of the oviraptorosaur diet. Not long after, fossil embryonic remains cast doubt on the popular reconstruction of oviraptorosaurs as egg thieves when it was discovered that the "Protoceratops" eggs that Oviraptor was thought to be "stealing" actually belonged to Oviraptor itself. The discovery of additional Oviraptor preserved on top of nests in lifelike brooding posture firmly established that oviraptorosaurs had been "framed" as egg thieves and were actually caring parents incubating their own nests.[3]

19th century

Thecocoelurus vertebrae

1880s

1888

20th century

Drawing of the left arm and both hands of the Oviraptor type specimen AMNH 6517

1920s

1923

1924

Skeletal reconstruction of Chirostenotes

1930s

1932

1933

1940s

Drawing of the skull of Oviraptor, type specimen AMNH 6517

1940

1950s

1956

1960s

1960

1966

1970s

Skeletal reconstruction of Microvenator

1970

Artist's restoration of Microvenator

1971

1972

1976

1980s

Artist's restoration of Avimimus

1981

Known skeletal material of Ajancingenia, formerly "Ingenia"

1983

1986

1988

1990s

Fossilized Oviraptor nest, specimen AMNH FR 6508

1991

1992

1993

1994

1996

1997

1998

1999

21st century

Artist's restoration of Nomingia

2000s

2000

2001

Citipati osmolskae and an unnamed Citipati species
The skull of Incisivosaurus

2000 2002? Maryanska and others confirmed Sereno's finding that Caudipteryx was an oviraptorosaur. They also found Avimimus to be an oviraptorosaur as well.[6]

2002

2003

Skeletal mount of Gigantoraptor

2004

2005

2007

2008

2009

2010s

Artist's restoration of Machairasaurus

2010

2011

Artist's restoration of two Ajancingenia

2012

Skull and neck of Anzu

2013

2014

2015

2016

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Osmolska, Currie, and Barsbold (2004); "Systematics and Evolution", page 178.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 Osmolska, Currie, and Barsbold (2004); "Table 8.1: Oviraptorosauria", page 166.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Osmolska, Currie, and Barsbold (2004); "Paleoecology", page 183.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Osmolska, Currie, and Barsbold (2004); "Table 8.1: Oviraptorosauria", page 167.
  5. Osmolska, Currie, and Barsbold (2004); "Systematics and Evolution", pages 178-179.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Osmolska, Currie, and Barsbold (2004); "Systematics and Evolution", page 179.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Varricchio (2001); "Abstract," page 42.
  8. Padian, Qiang, and Shu-An (2001); "Abstract," page 117.
  9. Padian, Qiang, and Shu-An (2001); "Conclusions," pages 131-132.
  10. Padian, Qiang, and Shu-An (2001); "Possible Evolutionary Sequence from Protofeathers to True Feathers," page 126.
  11. 1 2 Padian, Qiang, and Shu-An (2001); "Possible Evolutionary Sequence from Protofeathers to True Feathers," page 127.
  12. Lü et al. (2004); "Abstract," page 95.
  13. Zanno and Sampson (2005); "Abstract," page 897.
  14. Lü et al. (2005); "Abstract," page 51.
  15. Lü and Zhang (2005); "Abstract," page 412.
  16. Xu et al. (2007); "Abstract," page 844.
  17. He, Wang, and Zhou (2008); "Abstract," page 178.
  18. Lü et al. (2005); "Abstract," page 43.
  19. Xu and Han (2010); "Abstract," page 11.
  20. Longrich, Currie, and Dong (2010); "Abstract," page 23.
  21. 1 2 Sullivan, Jasinski and Van Tomme (2011); "Abstract," page 418.
  22. Ji et al. (2012); "Abstract," page 2102.
  23. Easter (2013); "Abstract," page 184.
  24. Wang et al. (2013); "Abstract," page 242.
  25. Wei et al. (2013); "Abstract," page 11.
  26. Longrich et al. (2013); "Abstract," page 899.
  27. Lü et al. (2013); "Abstract," page 1.
  28. Xu et al. (2013); "Abstract," page 85.
  29. Lü et al. (2013); "Abstract," page 165.
  30. Lamanna et al. (2013); "Abstract," page 1.
  31. Lü, Junchang; Pu, Hanyong; Kobayashi, Yoshitsugu; Xu, Li; Chang, Huali; Shang, Yuhua; Liu, Di; Lee, Yuong-Nam; Kundrát, Martin; Shen, Caizhi (2015). "A New Oviraptorid Dinosaur (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Late Cretaceous of Southern China and Its Paleobiogeographical Implications". Scientific Reports 5: Article number 11490. doi:10.1038/srep11490.
  32. Gregory F. Funston and Philip J. Currie (2016). "A new caenagnathid (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada, and a reevaluation of the relationships of Caenagnathidae". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. Online edition: e1160910. doi:10.1080/02724634.2016.1160910.

References

External links

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