Kulindadromeus
| Key | Value |
|---|---|
| Name Meaning | “Kulinda runner” |
| Location | Russia (Zabaykalsky Krai) |
| Time Period | c. 168 million years ago (Middle Jurassic) |
| Length | 4 ft (1.2 m) |
| Weight | 5.5 lb (2.5 kg) |
| Locomotion | Biped |
| Diet | Herbivore |
| Described | 2014 (Godefroit et al.) |
| Geological Formation(s) | Ukureyskaya |
| Valid Species | Kulindadromeus zabaikalicus (type) |
Phylogeny: Dinosauria > Ornithischia > Genasauria > Neornithischia
Overview: Kulindadromeus was a rather small, bipedal herbivore known from Middle Jurassic-aged rocks, today exposed in the Russian Far East (in Zabaykalsky Krai). It was specifically found within a layer of the Ukureyskaya Formation. Fossils of other dinosaurs, including theropod teeth, have also been found within the Ukureyskaya, but Kulindadromeus is so far the only one described from it. Its sedimentary layers seem to preserve the traces of a once temperate to semi-tropical region with a landscape dotted by lakes and covered by river deltas. Kulindadromeus was officially described as a genus in 2014, its name referring to the Kulinda locality where it was found, but also to the genus’s presumed agility. Speed and evasion was one of the only means of defense for this dinosaur, as its body was entirely lacking in armor and it wasn’t an overly intimidating animal. It itself fed upon low growing vegetation like ferns and shoots, possessing both a beak and fairly simple teeth.
What makes Kulindadromeus significant was the state of its holotype’s preservation. The layers of rock in the Ukureyskaya appear to bear a lot of fine, volcanic ash, which beautifully preserved what it buried – Kulindadromeus being an example. Putting all the known specimens together, most of its skeleton is known, but that’s not all. Kulindadromeus was famously found with traces of feathers, or at least proto-feathers, over much of its body. They covered its back, neck, head and upper legs, while the tail and lower legs had exposed scales. This is significant, as Kulindadromeus belonged to the ornithischian lineage of dinosaurs, not the saurischian lineage from which birds evolved. This is evidence to some that such integument may’ve been ancestral to both groups, though often lost in various specific taxa (especially those of larger body sizes). Kulindadromeus is usually classified as a relative of the clade Cerapoda, to which the “duck-billed” and horned dinosaurs belonged.