Oksoko
- Lived
- 72 to 66 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Oviraptoridae
- Found in
- Mongolia
- Named by
- Funston et al. 2020
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
70 million years ago
Habitat
Rivers and floodplains formed the broader landscape of the Nemegt Formation in Mongolia. Tarbosaurus, Therizinosaurus and Gallimimus lived in the same region.
Field notes
About Oksoko
What it was like
Oksoko was a small oviraptorid, a feathered theropod with a toothless beak and a crest. It had only two working fingers on each hand. Several young animals were found together, which suggests they lived in groups.
Its world
It lived about 72 to 66 million years ago, near the end of the Cretaceous, in what is now Mongolia. It comes from the Nemegt Formation, where it shared the land with Tarbosaurus, Therizinosaurus, Deinocheirus and the ostrich-like Gallimimus.
How it was found
Funston and colleagues named Oksoko in 2020. Its name comes from a three-headed bird of folklore, since three skeletons were found together.
Field gallery
More views of Oksoko
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 Oksoko.
The evidence
The science behind Oksoko
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Several skeletons preserve a toothless beak, a rounded skull crest and a short tail.
- Each hand had two working fingers and a tiny remnant of a third.
- Young animals were buried together with their limbs tucked beneath their bodies, suggesting they rested as a group.
Borrowed from relatives
- Almost the whole skeleton is known from its own bones.
- Feathers are inferred from feathered relatives such as Caudipteryx.
Still unknown
- Its feather colors and patterns.
- Exactly what it ate.
- Whether the crest helped it make sounds.
Discovery timeline
- 1998Close relativeQiang et al.
- 2020Named itFunston et al.
- 2024Full descriptionFunston
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Oksoko
Close relative
Described feathered Caudipteryx, a relative that supports restoring Oksoko with feathers.
Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China. Nature 393: 753-761
Read the paper : Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China (opens in a new tab)Named it
Named a short-armed oviraptorid with two working fingers and described young animals resting together.
A new two-fingered dinosaur sheds light on the radiation of Oviraptorosauria. Royal Society Open Science 7: 201184
Read the paper : A new two-fingered dinosaur sheds light on the radiation of Oviraptorosauria (opens in a new tab)Full description
Described the skeleton in detail and tracked changes during growth, including stronger limb bones and early development of the skull crest.
Osteology of the two-fingered oviraptorid Oksoko avarsan (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 202
Read the paper : Osteology of the two-fingered oviraptorid Oksoko avarsan (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria) (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Oviraptoridae
Sources: Wikidata