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Minotaurasaurus
Extinct genus of dinosaurs / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Minotaurasaurus (meaning “Minos'-bull reptile”) is a monospecific genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur that lived in Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian stage, ~75-71 Ma) in what is now the Djadochta Formation. The type and only species, Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani, is known from two skulls, a cervical vertebra and a cervical half ring. It was named and described in 2009 by Clifford Miles and Clark Miles. The first fossils of Minotaurasaurus were illegally exported out of Mongolia.[citation needed]It has been suggested to be a synonym of Tarchia but more recent publications consider it as a distinct genus.
Minotaurasaurus | |
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Cast of the holotype skull of Minotaurasaurus. | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | †Ornithischia |
Clade: | †Thyreophora |
Clade: | †Ankylosauria |
Family: | †Ankylosauridae |
Subfamily: | †Ankylosaurinae |
Genus: | †Minotaurasaurus Miles & Miles, 2009 |
Species: | †M. ramachandrani |
Binomial name | |
†Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani Miles & Miles, 2009 | |
Minotaurasaurus was a medium-sized ankylosaurid, with an estimated length of 4.2 metres (13.8 feet), although it may have reached larger sizes as the type specimen represents an immature individual. Although not a lot of postcranial material is known, it would have had a tail club that may have been used for protection against predators or interspecific combat and would have been covered in protective osteoderms. It would have also had a barrel-like body, and short, robust limbs based on close relatives.