Pelecanimimus

Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Saurischia > Theropoda > Neotheropoda > Tetanurae > Avetheropoda > Coelurosauria > Ornithomimosauria

Overview: Ornithomimosaurs were one of the most successful theropod lineages to emerge in the Cretaceous Period. They were coelurosaurs, so they were more closely related to modern birds (as well as to dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus) than to the likes of Megalosaurus and Allosaurus. This can be seen to a degree in their physical appearances, though their resemblance to modern emus and ostriches is probably the result of convergent evolution. Most of the well known and “advanced” ornithomimosaurs, such as Ornithomimus and Gallimimus, lived towards the end of the period. For this reason, the discovery of Pelecanimimus is significant, as it is one of the earliest confirmed genera within this group. It was a basal member, lying outside either of the two major ornithomimosaur families, the Deinocheiridae and Ornithomimidae.

Pelecanimimus was a relatively small dinosaur, growing to be maybe two or three meters long, but this was fairly average for at least earlier ornithomimosaurs (some later species grew to be quite large). Its neck was fairly long and the skull low and slender. Later ornithomimosaurs were entirely toothless, but Pelecanimimus still possessed some small teeth along its jaws. Ornithomimosaurs in general are seen as omnivores, which is likely the case with Pelecanimimus too, though traces of a pelican-like throat pouch suggest it could’ve preyed mainly on small fish or other aquatic prey. It is for this feature that the genus was named. In addition to this pouch, traces of a small, keratinous crest were also found atop its head. This was likely a display feature. This genus is known from Spain’s La Huérguina Formation, so it was probably preyed upon by larger theropods like Concavenator - an early carcharodontosaur.