Almas
Type species Almas ukhaa
- Lived
- 84 to 72 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Troodontidae
- Found in
- Mongolia
- Named by
- Pei et al. 2017
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
80 million years ago
Habitat
It lived in the dry, sandy landscape of the Djadokhta Formation in Mongolia. Its neighbors included Velociraptor, Protoceratops and Citipati.
Field notes
About Almas
What it was like
Almas was a small troodontid, a feathered, big-eyed theropod. It is known from a skull and part of a skeleton. It was related to Byronosaurus.
Its world
It lived in the Late Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia. Its bones come from the Djadokhta Formation, a dry land of sand dunes shared with Velociraptor, Protoceratops and the oviraptor Citipati.
How it was found
Pei and colleagues named it in 2017. The type species is Almas ukhaa. It is named after a wild man of Mongolian folklore.
Field gallery
More views of Almas
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Almas.
The evidence
The science behind Almas
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A nearly complete skull and part of a skeleton preserve the jaws, hips, hind legs and part of the tail.
- The skull has a short snout, large eye sockets and closely packed teeth near the front of the jaws.
- Long bones beneath the tail and a distinctive spike on a hip bone help separate Almas from other troodontids.
Borrowed from relatives
- A feather coat is inferred from feathered troodontids such as Jianianhualong.
- The missing arms and feet are restored by comparison with better-preserved troodontids such as Gobivenator.
Still unknown
- Its feather colors and the exact shape of its plumage.
- Whether the eggshell fragments beside the skeleton belonged to Almas.
- What it ate most often.
Discovery timeline
- 2014Close relativeTsuihiji et al.
- 2017Named itPei et al.
- 2017Close relativeXu et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Almas
Close relative
Described the well-preserved skeleton of Gobivenator, a useful comparison for the skull and missing body parts of Almas.
An exquisitely preserved troodontid theropod with new information on the palatal structure from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Naturwissenschaften 101: 131-142
Read the paper : An exquisitely preserved troodontid theropod with new information on the palatal structure from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia (opens in a new tab)Named it
Described a short-snouted troodontid with a nearly complete skull, distinctive hip and tail bones, and eggshell fragments beside its skeleton.
Osteology of a New Late Cretaceous Troodontid Specimen from Ukhaa Tolgod, Ömnögovi Aimag, Mongolia. American Museum Novitates 3889: 1-47
Read the paper : Osteology of a New Late Cretaceous Troodontid Specimen from Ukhaa Tolgod, Ömnögovi Aimag, Mongolia (opens in a new tab)Close relative
Jianianhualong preserved long feathers on the arms, legs and tail, supporting feathered restorations of other troodontids such as Almas.
Mosaic evolution in an asymmetrically feathered troodontid dinosaur with transitional features. Nature Communications 8
Read the paper : Mosaic evolution in an asymmetrically feathered troodontid dinosaur with transitional features (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Troodontidae
Sources: Wikidata