How many Psittacosaurus species are there?

What is the Psittacosaurus biochron?

Many terrestrial sedimentary formations of this age in Mongolia and northern China have produced fossils of Psittacosaurus, leading to the definition of this time period in the region as the Psittacosaurus biochron. The earliest known species is P. lujiatunensis, found in the lowest beds of the Yixian Formation.

Is Psittacosaurus a dinosaur?

Psittacosaurus. Psittacosaurus ( /ˌsɪtəkəˈsɔːrəs/ SIT-ə-kə-SOR-əs; ” parrot lizard “) is a genus of extinct ceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of what is now Asia, existing between 126 and 101 million years ago. It is notable for being the most species -rich dinosaur genus.

What is the new genus of Psittacosauridae?

“A new genus of Psittacosauridae (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) and the origin and early evolution of marginocephalian dinosaurs”. Acta Geologica Sinica (English ed.). 77 (1): 15–20. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-6724.2003.tb00105.x.

How is the cloaca of Psittacosaurus similar to that of crocodilians?

Psittacosaurus’ cloaca is comparable to those of crocodilians’, with a “longitudionally opening vent” and a “rosette pattern of cloacal scales and 129 transverse rows of quadrangular ventral scale”, as opposed to the naked area around the cloaca of birds. Like modern crocodilians and birds, dinosaur genitalia were positioned internally.

What is the genus name of Psittacosaurus?

Psittacosaurus is the type genus of the family Psittacosauridae, which was also named by Osborn in 1923. Only one other genus, Hongshanosaurus, is currently classified in this family alongside Psittacosaurus.

What is Psittacosauridae?

“A new genus of Psittacosauridae (Dinosauria: Ornithopoda) and the origin and early evolution of marginocephalian dinosaurs”. Acta Geologica Sinica (English ed.). 77 (1): 15–20. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-6724.2003.tb00105.x.

Is Psittacosaurus a synonym of Hongshanosaurus?

Once in its own family, Psittacosauridae, with other genera like Hongshanosaurus, it is now considered to be senior synonym of the latter and an early offshoot of the branch that led to more derived forms. The genera closely related to Psittacosaurus are all from Asia, with the exception of Aquilops, from North America.

What is a Psittacosaurus biochron?

These occurrences define a Psittacosaurus biochron that is a recognizable time interval of the Early Cretaceous across eastern Asia.

Is Psittacosaurus a Late Cretaceous dinosaur?

No occurrence of Psittacosaurus has ever been assigned a Late Cretaceous age, and no evidence supports such an assignment. All Psittacosaurus records are of Early Cretaceous age, and all are of Tsagantsabian and Khukhtekian age as those land-vertebrate faunachrons are defined here.

Did Psittacosaurus use its cloacal vent for signaling?

This cloaca is more than 100 million years old, and it did a lot of work for this extinct species. A reconstruction of Psittacosaurus showing how the cloacal vent might have been used for signaling during courtship. Credit…

What does Psittacosaurus’cloaca look like?

Psittacosaurus’ cloaca is comparable to those of crocodilians’, with a “longitudionally opening vent” and a “rosette pattern of cloacal scales and 129 transverse rows of quadrangular ventral scale”, as opposed to the naked area around the cloaca of birds. Like modern crocodilians and birds, dinosaur genitalia were positioned internally.

Is Psittacosaurus a Triceratops?

Psittacosaurus. Psittacosaurus was one of the earliest ceratopsians, but closer to Triceratops than Yinlong. Once in its own family, Psittacosauridae, with other genera like Hongshanosaurus, it is now considered to be senior synonym of the latter and an early offshoot of the branch that led to more derived forms.

Is Psittacosaurus a parrot lizard?

Psittacosaurus ( /ˌsɪtəkəˈsɔːrəs/ SIT-ə-kə-SOR-əs; ” parrot lizard “) is a genus of extinct ceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of what is now Asia, existing between 126 and 101 million years ago. It is notable for being the most species -rich dinosaur genus.

Is Psittacosaurus extinct?

Hongshanosaurus You, Xu, & Wang, 2003. Psittacosaurus (/ˌsɪtəkəˈsɔːrəs/ SIT-ə-kə-SOR-əs; “parrot lizard”) is a genus of extinct ceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of what is now Asia, existing between 126 and 101 million years ago. It is notable for being the most species-rich dinosaur genus.

What animals have a cloaca?

The cloaca is found in all kinds of birds, including everything from chickens, pigeons and geese to hummingbirds and eagles. Some mammals, such as the duck-billed platypus and the echidna, also have one, but most mammals have much more advanced reproductive and digestive systems.

Who named Psittacosaurus protiguanodonensis?

In 1958, Chinese paleontologist Yang Zhongjian (better known as C. C. Young) renamed the skeleton Psittacosaurus protiguanodonensis.

What does a Psittacosaurus look like?

Psittacosaurus has a large, parrot-like head with a large beak, equipped with possibly display cheek horns. The body was not particularly thick or large and it was bipedal, unlike most other advanced ceratopsians. The front arms have four fingers.

How many species of Psittacosaurus are there?

It is notable for being the most species-rich dinosaur genus. Up to 11 species are known, from across Mongolia, Siberia, China, and possibly Thailand. The species of Psittacosaurus were obligate bipeds at adulthood, with a high skull and a robust beak.

What is the difference between a snake and a lizard?

Firstly it is important to differentiate between the two groups in the reptile order Squamata: the snakes (Serpentes) and the lizards (Lacertilia). Briefly, snakes have no eyelids or ear openings, a long thin forked tongue and no limbs.

Did Psittacosaurus use countershading?

The dinosaur Psittacosaurus is the first dinosaur to show evidence of countershading, a type of camouflage in which animals have darker-colored backs and lighter bellies. Please be respectful of copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.

What was the behaviour of Psittacosaurus?

Psittacosaurus probably had complex behaviours, based on the proportions and relative size of the brain. It may have been active for short periods of time during the day and night, and had good smell and well developed vision. It was up to 2.5 meters (8 feet) long and weighed up to 50 kilograms (110 lbs).

Did psittacosaurs have joints?

Sometimes numbering more than fifty, these stones are occasionally found in the abdominal cavities of psittacosaurs, and may have been stored in a gizzard, as in modern birds. Unlike many other dinosaurs, psittacosaurs had akinetic skulls: that is to say, the upper and lower jaws each behaved as a single unit, without internal joints.

What kind of dinosaur is Hongshanosaurus?

Hongshanosaurus You, Xu, & Wang, 2003. Psittacosaurus (/ˌsɪtəkəˈsɔːrəs/ SIT-ə-kə-SOR-əs; “parrot lizard”) is a genus of extinct ceratopsian dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous of what is now Asia, existing between 126 and 101 million years ago. It is notable for being the most species-rich dinosaur genus.

Are psittacosaurids related to ceratopsians?

Psittacosaurids were basal to almost all known ceratopsians except Yinlong and perhaps the Chaoyangsauridae. While Psittacosauridae was an early branch of the ceratopsian family tree, Psittacosaurus itself was probably not directly ancestral to any other groups of ceratopsians.

Where was the first Psittacosaurus found?

Many terrestrial sedimentary formations of this age in Mongolia and northern China have produced fossils of Psittacosaurus, leading to the definition of this time period in the region as the Psittacosaurus biochron. The earliest known species is P. lujiatunensis, found in the lowest beds of the Yixian Formation.

Is a pterosaur related to dinosaurs?

Pterosaurs are distantly related to dinosaurs, being members of the clade Ornithodira. The other groups mentioned are, like dinosaurs and pterosaurs, members of Sauropsida (the reptile and bird clade), except Dimetrodon (which is a synapsid ).

What are the parts of the cloaca in reptiles?

In reptiles, the cloaca consists of the urodeum, proctodeum, and coprodeum. Some species have modified cloacae for increased gas exchange (see Reptile respiration and Reptile reproduction ).