Tongtianlong

Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Saurischia > Theropoda > Neotheropoda > Tetanurae > Avetheropoda > Coelurosauria > Maniraptora > Pennaraptora > Oviraptorosauria > Caenagnathoidea > Oviraptoridae

Overview: While excavating a spot designated for a new school, a team of workers in the Jiangxi Province of China came across the fossilized remains of a highly birdlike dinosaur. In 2016, these remains were formally described as a new genus of oviraptorosaur – Tongtianlong. Tongtianlong takes part of its name from the Tongtian’yan Grottoes located near where it was found, as well as from the Mandarin Chinese word for “dragon”, commonly used for Chinese dinosaur genera. With its boxy skull and short, toothless beak, Tongtianlong was clearly a derived oviraptorosaur. Earlier oviraptorosaurs tended to have longer skulls and often retained some teeth. Phylogenetic studies classify Tongtianlong within the family Oviraptoridae, so it was closely related to Oviraptor itself. It was also around the same size as Oviraptor, growing to be about two meters in length.

Oviraptorosaurs were relatively derived maniraptoran dinosaurs, so we can assume they possessed extensive feather covering in life. Fossil evidence supports this, with many oviraptorids being found with their “wings” outstretched over their nests, in a fashion similar to that of brooding birds. Such feathers also insulated their own bodies and provided structures for courtship and threat displays. In addition to its feathers, many oviraptorids, Tongtianlong included, possessed bony head crests. That of Tongtianlong, however, had a slightly different shape in comparison to those usually seen among its family. This could be an adaptation to distinguish it from other oviraptorids, as a large number of oviraptorid genera are known to have lived in Jiangxi at around the same time. Many of these oviraptorids, like Tongtianlong, come from the rocks of the Nanxiong Formation.