Citipati 4381430 221740988 2008-06-25T21:51:21Z CommonsDelinker 2304267 Removing "Citipatiamnh1.jpg", it has been deleted from Commons by [[commons:User:MichaelMaggs|MichaelMaggs]] because: per [[w:commons:Commons:Deletion_requests/Image:Citipatiamnh1.jpg]]. {{Taxobox | name = ''Citipati'' | fossil_range = [[Late Cretaceous]] | image = Citipati 1 NHM.jpg | image_width = 200px | image_caption = Bust of ''Citipati sp.'' at the [[Natural History Museum]], [[London]]. | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordate|Chordata]] | classis = [[Reptile|Sauropsida]] | superordo = [[Dinosaur]]ia | ordo = [[Saurischia]] | subordo = [[Theropoda]] | familia = [[Oviraptoridae]] | genus = '''''Citipati''''' | genus_authority = [[James M. Clark|Clark]], [[Mark Norell|Norell]] & [[Rinchen Barsbold|Barsbold]], 2001 | subdivision_ranks = [[Species]] | subdivision = * ''C. osmolskae'' <small>([[Type species|type]])</small><br/><small>Clark, Norell & Barsbold, 2001</small> * ''C.'' sp <br/><small>''vide'' Clark, Norell & Barsbold, 2001</small> }} '''''Citipati''''' ({{pronounced|ˈtʃiːt̪ipəːt̪i}} in [[Sanskrit]], for 'funeral pyre lord') is a [[genus]] of [[oviraptorid]] [[theropod]] [[dinosaur]] from the Late [[Cretaceous]] [[Period (geology)|Period]] of what is now [[Mongolia]] (specifically, the [[Djadokhta Formation]] of Ukhaa Tolgod, in the [[Gobi Desert]]). It is one of the best-known oviraptorids, thanks to a number of well-preserved skeletons, including several specimens found in [[Avian incubation|brooding]] positions atop nests of eggs. These nesting specimens have helped to solidify the link between non-avian dinosaurs and [[bird]]s. ==Description== [[Image:Citipati profiles1.jpg|thumb|left|''Citipati osmolskae'' and ''Citipati sp.'' comparison.]]The largest ''Citipati'' were [[emu]]-sized animals and, at about 3 meters (9 ft) long, were the largest oviraptorids until ''[[Gigantoraptor]]'' was described in 2007. Like other oviraptorids, ''Citipati'' had an unusually long neck and shortened tail, compared to most other theropods. Its skull was unusually short and highly pneumatized (riddled with openings in the bone structure), ending in a stout, toothless beak. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of ''Citipati'' was its tall crest, superficially similar to that of a modern [[cassowary]]. The crest was relatively low in the [[type species]], ''C. osmolskae'', and taller, with a pointed tip, in a referred specimen which has not yet been assigned a specific name (provisionally labelled ''C. sp.''). ===''Citipati'' or ''Oviraptor''?=== Since the type skull of ''[[Oviraptor]]'' is so poorly preserved and crushed, another oviraptorid specimen (IGM or GIN 100/42) had become the quintessential depiction of that dinosaur, even appearing in scientific papers with the label ''Oviraptor philoceratops''.<ref name="barsbold1990b">Barsbold, R., Maryanska, T., and Osmolska, H. (1990). "Oviraptorosauria," in Weishampel, D.B., Dodson, P., and Osmolska, H. (eds.). ''The Dinosauria''. Berkeley: University of California Press, pp. 249-258.</ref> However, this distinctive-looking, tall-crested species has more features of the skull in common with ''Citipati'' than it does with ''Oviraptor'' and it may represent a second species of ''Citipati'' or possibly an entirely new genus, pending further study.<ref name="clark2001">Clark, J.M., Norell, M.A., & Barsbold, R. (2001). "Two new oviraptorids (Theropoda:Oviraptorosauria), upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation, Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia." ''Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology'' '''21(2)''':209-213., June 2001.</ref> Additionally, the nesting oviraptorid specimens had gained widespread attention before they were actually referred to ''Citipati''. While usually labeled simply "oviraptorids", they have on occasion been confused with ''Oviraptor'' istself. The fact that the first ''Oviraptor'' specimen was found on a nest as well confused the matter further. As it stands, most popular illustrations of ''Oviraptor'' actually depict ''Citipati'' and the present material available for ''Oviraptor'' itself is too fragmentary to be reliably reconstructed. ===Name=== [[Image:Scan0009.jpg|thumb|Mounted ''Citipati sp.'' (IGM 100/42) skeleton, Experimentarium, [[Copenhagen]].]] The name ''Citipati'' is formed from the [[Sanskrit]] words ''citi'', meaning 'funeral pyre' and ''pati'' meaning 'lord'. In [[Tibet]]an [[Buddhist]] folklore, the citipati were two monks who were beheaded by a thief, while deep in a meditative trance [http://altreligion.about.com/library/glossary/symbols/bldefscitipati.htm]. The citipati are often depicted as a pair of dancing skeletons surrounded by flame, hence the application of the name to the beautifully preserved oviraptorid skeletons. The [[type species]] of ''Citipati'', ''C. osmolskae'', was named by Clark ''et al.'', in honor of [[Halszka Osmólska]], a noted paleontologist whose work has dealt extensively with oviraptorids and other Mongolian theropods.<ref name="clark2001"/> ==Paleobiology== ===Nesting, eggs, and embryos=== At least four ''Citipati'' specimens have been found in [[Avian incubation|brooding]] positions, the most famous of which, a large specimen nicknamed "Big Mamma", was first announced (but not named) in 1995,<ref name="norell1995">Norell, M.A., Clark, J.M., Chiappe, L.M., and Dashzeveg, D. (1995). "A nesting dinosaur." ''Nature'' '''378''':774-776.</ref> described in 1999,<ref name="clark1999">Clark, J.M., Norell, M.A., & Chiappe, L.M. (1999). "An oviraptorid skeleton from the Late Cretaceous of Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia, preserved in an avianlike brooding position over an oviraptorid nest." ''American Museum Novitates,'' '''3265''': 36 pp., 15 figs.; (American Museum of Natural History) New York. (5.4.1999).</ref> and referred to the genus ''Citipati'' in 2001.<ref name="clark2001"/> All of the nesting specimens are situated on top of egg clutches, with their limbs spread symmetrically on each side of the nest, front limbs covering the nest perimeter. This brooding posture is found today only in birds and supports a behavioral link between birds and theropod dinosaurs.<ref name="clark1999"/> The nesting position of ''Citipati'' also supports the hypothesis that it and other oviraptorids had feathered forelimbs. With the 'arms' spread along the periphery of the nest, a majority of eggs would not be covered by the animal's body unless an extensive coat of feathers was present.<ref name="paul2002">Paul, G.S. (2002). ''Dinosaurs of the Air: The Evolution and Loss of Flight in Dinosaurs and Birds.'' Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.</ref> [[Image:Citipati IGM 100 979.jpg|thumb|right|A nesting ''Citipati osmolskae'' specimen, at the [[American Museum of Natural History|AMNH]].]] [[Image:Citipati embryo IGM100 971.jpg|thumb|A ''Citipati osmolskae'' egg with preserved embryo, at the [[American Museum of Natural History|AMNH]].]] Although fossilized dinosaur eggs are rare, ''Citipati'' eggs and oviraptorid eggs in general, are relatively well known. Along with the four known nesting specimens, dozens of isolated oviraptorid nests have been uncovered in the [[Gobi Desert]]. ''Citipati'' eggs are shaped like elongated ovals (''elongatoolithid'') and resemble the eggs of [[ratite]]s in texture and shell structure. In the nest, ''Citipati'' eggs are typically arranged in concentric circles of up to three layers, and a complete clutch may have consisted of as many of 22 eggs.<ref name="varricchio2000">Varricchio, D.J. (2000). "Reproduction and Parenting," in Paul, G.S. (ed.). ''The Scientific American Book of Dinosaurs.'' New York: St. Martin's Press, pp. 279-293.</ref> The eggs of ''Citipati'' are the largest known definitive oviraptorid eggs, at 18 cm. In contrast, eggs associated with ''Oviraptor'' are only up to 14 cm long.<ref name="clark1999"/> Ironically, it was the association with eggs that gave oviraptorids their name (which means 'egg thieves'). The first oviraptorid eggs (of the genus ''Oviraptor'') were found in close proximity to the remains of the [[ceratopsian]] dinosaur ''[[Protoceratops]]'' and it was assumed that the oviraptorids were preying upon the eggs of the ceratopsians.<ref name="osborn1924">Osborn, H.F. (1924). "Three new Theropoda, ''Protoceratops'' zone, central Mongolia." ''American Museum Novitates,'' '''144''': 12 pp., 8 figs.; (American Museum of Natural History) New York. (11.7.1924).</ref> It was not until 1993, when a ''Citipati'' embryo was discovered inside one of the supposed ''Protoceratops'' eggs, that the error was corrected.<ref name="norell1994">Norell, M. A., J. M. Clark, D. Dashzeveg, T. Barsbold, L. M. Chiappe, A. R. Davidson, M. C. McKenna, and M. J. Novacek (1994). "A theropod dinosaur embryo, and the affinities of the Flaming Cliffs Dinosaur eggs." ''Science'' '''266''': 779–782.</ref> Norell ''et al.'', who recognized the embryo as oviraptorid, assigned it to the genus ''Citipati'' in 2001, based on the vertical orientation of the [[premaxilla]] (a bone structure at the tip of the jaw), a feature found only in ''Citipati''. The egg containing the embryo was smaller than most known ''Citipati'' eggs at only 12 cm, though it was partially eroded and broken into three pieces, making an accurate estimate of its original size difficult.<ref name="clark1999"/> The embryo-bearing egg was otherwise identical to other oviraptorid eggs in shell structure and was found in an isolated nest, again arranged in a circular pattern. Two indeterminate theropod skulls were associated with the nest.<ref name="norell1994"/> ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.digimorph.org/specimens/Citipati_osmolskae/ Interactive CT scan of a ''Citipati'' skull.] * [http://dino.lm.com/taxa/display.php?name=Citipati Images of ''Citipati'' from the Dinosauricon] {{portalpar|Dinosaurs}} [[Category:Cretaceous dinosaurs]] [[Category:Dinosaurs of Asia]] [[Category:Oviraptorosaurs]] [[es:Citipati]] [[pl:Citipati]] [[sk:Citipati]] [[uk:Цитіпаті]] [[zh:葬火龙]]