Shanag
- Lived
- 143 to 126 million years ago, Early Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Length
- about 0.5 m (1 ft)
- Group
- Theropods, Dromaeosauridae
- Found in
- Mongolia
- Named by
- Turner et al. 2007
Size comparison
To scale
Scale in metersOutline: typical theropod shape
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
135 million years ago
Habitat
An Early Cretaceous landscape in Mongolia, where the small horned plant eater Psittacosaurus also lived.
Field notes
About Shanag
What it was like
Shanag was a tiny feathered theropod, about 0.45 meters (1.5 feet) long. It is known from part of the upper jaw with teeth. It may be related to the raptors, but some scientists doubt this.
Its world
It lived in the Early Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia. Its fossil comes from the Öösh Formation, where the small horned Psittacosaurus also lived.
How it was found
Turner and colleagues named Shanag in 2007. Its name comes from a Mongolian dance.
Field gallery
More views of Shanag
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
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 Shanag.
The evidence
The science behind Shanag
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Parts of the upper and lower jaws preserve teeth from a single animal.
- The upper jaw tapers toward the front and has air-filled cavities between some tooth sockets.
Borrowed from relatives
- The missing body is restored from small birdlike theropods such as Microraptor and Sinornithosaurus.
- A feather covering is inferred from feathered relatives such as Microraptor.
Still unknown
- Its exact place among the birdlike theropods.
- Its body proportions and the length of its feathers.
- Its color and whether it could glide.
Discovery timeline
- 2003Close relativeXu et al.
- 2007Named itTURNER, HWANG & NORELL
- 2012Family treeTurner, Makovicky & Norell
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Shanag
Close relative
Described long feathers on the arms and legs of Microraptor, providing a comparison for the covering of small birdlike theropods.
Four-winged dinosaurs from China. Nature 421: 335-340
Read the paper : Four-winged dinosaurs from China (opens in a new tab)Named it
Described jaw bones with unusual air cavities and identified similarities to Microraptor, Sinornithosaurus and early birds.
A Small Derived Theropod from Öösh, Early Cretaceous, Baykhangor Mongolia. American Museum Novitates 3557: 1
Read the paper : A Small Derived Theropod from Öösh, Early Cretaceous, Baykhangor Mongolia (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Compared raptor anatomy and placed Shanag outside the group containing Microraptor and the more specialized raptors.
A Review of Dromaeosaurid Systematics and Paravian Phylogeny. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 371: 1-206
Read the paper : A Review of Dromaeosaurid Systematics and Paravian Phylogeny (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Dromaeosauridae
Sources: Wikidata