Talarurus
Encyclopedia
Talarurus is a genus
of hippopotamus
-sized ankylosaurid
dinosaur
with heavy armour
and a club
tail. It was named by Evgeny Maleev
in 1952.
in Mongolia
, so Talarurus may have lived there. Scientists assume that the habitat the Talarurus lived in were lowland floodplains millions of years ago because most Talarurus remains were found in the Gobi Desert's Bayan Shireh Formation
. Rocks found in and around the Bayn Shire Formation date from about 95-88 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous
period. To figure out the age of Talarurus more accurately, dinosaur remains from similar-aged rocks somewhere else are required to be compared with Bayn Shire Formation dinosaur remains. Sadly, there are only a few places in the world that show animal life on land in the early part of the Late Cretaceous. Scientists conclude that Talarurus lived in lowland floodplains in the southeastern part of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, between 98-83 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period from all the information they have gathered currently.
The genus was discovered in the 1950s by a Soviet expedition, and is now known from five or more individual specimens, including two incomplete skulls, one nearly complete skeleton, and many osteoderms. Talarurus (Greek
talaros = "wicker basket" + Greek oura = "tail" + -us) is presently one of the better-known ankylosaurs from Mongolia.
Vickaryous et al. (2004) note the presence of two distinct ankylosaurid clade
s during the Late Cretaceous, "one consisting of North American taxa
and the other restricted to Asian taxa. The oldest member of the Asian clade...is Talarurus plicatospineus."
.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
-sized ankylosaurid
Ankylosauridae
An ankylosaurid is a member of the Ankylosauridae family of armored dinosaurs that evolved 125 million years ago and became extinct 65 million years ago during the Cretaceous-Tertiary extinction event...
dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
with heavy armour
Armour (zoology)
Armour in animals is external or superficial protection against attack by predators, formed as part of the body , usually through the hardening of body tissues, outgrowths or secretions. It has therefore mostly developed in 'prey' species...
and a club
Club (zoology)
In zoology, a club is a bony mass at the end of the tail of some dinosaurs and of some mammals, most notably the ankylosaurids and the glyptodonts...
tail. It was named by Evgeny Maleev
Evgeny Maleev
Evgeny Aleksandrovich Maleev was a Russian paleontologist who named the armoured dinosaur Talarurus, the fearsome Tarbosaurus, and the enigmatic Therizinosaurus. Maleev did research on Tarbosaurus brains by cutting open fossilized braincases with a diamond saw...
in 1952.
Age and location
Talarurus remains have been discovered in the southeastern parts of the Gobi DesertGobi Desert
The Gobi is a large desert region in Asia. It covers parts of northern and northwestern China, and of southern Mongolia. The desert basins of the Gobi are bounded by the Altai Mountains and the grasslands and steppes of Mongolia on the north, by the Hexi Corridor and Tibetan Plateau to the...
in Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
, so Talarurus may have lived there. Scientists assume that the habitat the Talarurus lived in were lowland floodplains millions of years ago because most Talarurus remains were found in the Gobi Desert's Bayan Shireh Formation
Bayan Shireh Formation
The Bayan Shireh Formation is a geological formation in Burkhant, Mongolia, that dates to the late Cretaceous period...
. Rocks found in and around the Bayn Shire Formation date from about 95-88 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
period. To figure out the age of Talarurus more accurately, dinosaur remains from similar-aged rocks somewhere else are required to be compared with Bayn Shire Formation dinosaur remains. Sadly, there are only a few places in the world that show animal life on land in the early part of the Late Cretaceous. Scientists conclude that Talarurus lived in lowland floodplains in the southeastern part of the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, between 98-83 million years ago in the Late Cretaceous period from all the information they have gathered currently.
The genus was discovered in the 1950s by a Soviet expedition, and is now known from five or more individual specimens, including two incomplete skulls, one nearly complete skeleton, and many osteoderms. Talarurus (Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
talaros = "wicker basket" + Greek oura = "tail" + -us) is presently one of the better-known ankylosaurs from Mongolia.
Description
The skull of Talarurus measured approximately 24 centimetres (9.4 in) in length by approximately 22 centimetres (8.7 in) wide, and its body length has been estimated at 4 to 6 m (13.1 to 19.7 ft). This ankylosaurid had five toes on the forefoot and four on the hind foot. Additional diagnostic characteristics include dorsal vertebrae with transversely broad hypapophyses and osteoderms with furrowed ornamentation.Vickaryous et al. (2004) note the presence of two distinct ankylosaurid clade
Clade
A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...
s during the Late Cretaceous, "one consisting of North American taxa
Taxon
|thumb|270px|[[African elephants]] form a widely-accepted taxon, the [[genus]] LoxodontaA taxon is a group of organisms, which a taxonomist adjudges to be a unit. Usually a taxon is given a name and a rank, although neither is a requirement...
and the other restricted to Asian taxa. The oldest member of the Asian clade...is Talarurus plicatospineus."
Talarurus in the media
Talarurus had a small part in the beginning of the Disney computer-animated film, DinosaurDinosaur (film)
Dinosaur is a 2000 American computer-animated film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures on May 19, 2000, and is the 39th animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
.