Nemegtomaia
Nemegtomaia was a feathered dinosaur that looked a bit like a big bird. It had a short, deep skull with a crest on top and a parrot-like beak. This dinosaur is famous because one fossil was found sitting on a nest of eggs, just like a mother bird!21
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Fun facts
Nemegtomaia was about 2 metres (7 feet) long and weighed around 40 kilograms (85 pounds). That is about as heavy as a large dog.2
It had no teeth. Instead, it used a short, parrot-like beak to bite and crush its food.2
Nemegtomaia had an enlarged first finger with a strong claw. This might have helped it grasp branches or dig.2
One fossil of Nemegtomaia was found sitting on a nest of eggs. The eggs were about 14 to 16 centimetres (5 to 6 inches) long.21
The skeleton of the nesting Nemegtomaia was damaged by skin beetles before it was buried. These beetles ate the dried skin and flesh.21
Nemegtomaia is the only oviraptorid with a crest on its head that belongs to the group Heyuanninae.2
It lived about 72 to 70 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous Period.2
Most asked questions about Nemegtomaia
?How big was Nemegtomaia?
Nemegtomaia was about 2 metres (7 feet) long and weighed around 40 kilograms (88 pounds), about as heavy as a large dog.2
?Did Nemegtomaia have feathers?
Yes, as an oviraptorosaur, Nemegtomaia would have been feathered.2
?What did Nemegtomaia eat?
The diet of oviraptorids is uncertain, but their skulls are most similar to other animals that are known or thought to have been herbivorous.2
?Why is Nemegtomaia called a good mother?
The name Nemegtomaia means 'good mother of Nemegt', because one fossil was found sitting on a nest of eggs, showing it likely brooded its eggs like a bird.2
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Nemegtomaia
- Named by
- Lü et al. 20053
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Oviraptoridae3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Oviraptorosauria3
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)3
- Rock formations
- Baruungoyot, Nemegt3
- Countries
- Mongolia3
- Fossil records
- 3 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The first Nemegtomaia fossil was found in 1996 in the Nemegt Basin of Mongolia. It was named Nemegtia barsboldi in 2004, but the name was changed to Nemegtomaia in 2005 because 'Nemegtia' was already used for a tiny crustacean.21
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly what Nemegtomaia ate. Its skull looks like that of plant-eaters, but some think it may have also eaten small animals or nuts.2
Where the facts come from
- New Specimens of Nemegtomaia from the Baruungoyot and Nemegt Formations (Late Cretaceous) of Mongolia | PLOS One (journals.plos.org)
- Nemegtomaia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Nemegtomaia in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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