Rinchenia

Name: Rinchenia ‭(‬named after the paleontologist Rinchen Barsbold‭)‬.
Phonetic: Rin-chen-e-ah.
Named By: H.‭ ‬Osmolska,‭ ‬P.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Currie‭ & ‬R.‭ ‬Barsbold‭ ‬-‭ ‬2004.
Synonyms: Oviraptor mongoliensis.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Oviraptoridae.
Species: R.‭ ‬mongoliensis‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Uncertain.
Size: About‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬meters long.
Known locations: Mongolia.
Time period: Late Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Complete skull and partial post cranial skeleton.




       Rinchenia was originally described as a species of Oviraptor by Rinchen Barsbold in‭ ‬1986,‭ ‬but a later re-evaluation identified the species as a distinct genus.‭ ‬Unfortunately for Oviraptor,‭ ‬this removed the only skull were the crest is preserved,‭ ‬meaning that reconstructions of Oviraptor are now based upon Rinchenia.‭ ‬This might not be a huge problem however since the two genera resemble each other in so many other ways,‭ ‬they may have had similar crests too.‭ ‬However since this crest was presumably for display,‭ ‬there might be some difference in the exact size and form,‭ ‬though the difference in life may have been as simple as colour.

Further reading
-‭ "‬Raubdinosaurier Oviraptoren‭" [‬in Russian‭]‬,‭ ‬Rinchen Barsbold‭ ‬-‭ ‬1986.



----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Random favourites