Zanabazar
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Name Meaning | “Zanabazar” |
| Location | Mongolia |
| Time Period | c. 70 million years ago (Late Cretaceous) |
| Length | 8 ft (2.5 m) |
| Weight | 55 lb (25 kg) |
| Locomotion | Biped |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Described | 2009 (Norell et al.) |
| Geological Formation(s) | Nemegt |
| Valid Species | Zanabazar junior (type) |
Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Saurischia > Theropoda > Neotheropoda > Tetanurae > Avetheropoda > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Pennaraptora > Paraves > Troodontidae > Troodontinae
Overview: Zanabazar was officially described as a genus in 2009, based on fossil material found in the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. Its generic name was chosen to honor the historical Zanabazar – a Mongolian Buddhist religious authority from the seventeenth century. Some other Mongolian dinosaurs are named after Buddhist figures or traditions, in recognition of its great influence over the country’s history (mainly transmitted from Tibet). Studies of the Nemegt Formation date it to around seventy million years ago, seeming to preserve a relatively humid region crossed by rivers and marshlands. Drier conditions were also present, however, with the formations directly beneath the Nemegt (like the Djadochta Formation) preserving desert-like environments. There is some debate over how distinct each of these formations are, with it being suggested that there was overlap with regards to which dinosaurs lived there at different times.
With a length of two or three meters, Zanabazar wasn’t a very large dinosaur, though it was in the normal size range for its family – the Troodontidae. Troodontids were a highly birdlike group that first appears in the fossil record back in the Late Jurassic, but they saw their greatest success in the Late Cretaceous, as we can see with Zanabazar itself. Scientists place the troodontids close to modern birds, being members of the clade Paraves, which also made them relatives of the famed Dromaeosauridae, or the “raptor” family. Like the “raptors”, Zanabazar and its kin had enlarged talons on the second toe of each foot, probably used to hook into and pin down small prey. The whole of the Paraves were extensively feathered, likely with advanced, veined feathers. Other notable traits seen on troodontids were their enormous eyes and proportionately large brains, so it’s possible they had both keen senses and relatively advanced social behaviors.