Kol (dinosaur)
Encyclopedia
Kol is a genus
of alvarezsaurid
theropod dinosaur
from the Late Cretaceous
of Mongolia
. The type specimen was excavated from the Ukhaa Tolgod locality of the Djadochta Formation
, dating to about 75 million years ago. It is believed to have been about twice the size of the contemporary Shuvuuia
. However, unlike Shuvuuia, which is known from many well preserved specimens, and although Ukhaa Tolgod has been thoroughly explored, Kol is known only from one complete foot, suggesting that it must have been relatively rare in that ecosystem.
The binomial name Kol ghuva comes from the Mongolian
köl, "foot" and ghuv-a, "beautiful." Kol and Mei
have the shortest generic names of any dinosaur.
Because of the incomplete nature of the type specimen (catalog number IGM 100/2011), the exact relationship of Kol to other alvarezsaurids has been difficult to determine. However, Kol shows an extreme arctometatarsalian condition of the foot bones, in which the middle metatarsal is severely pinched between the outer bones (usually considered an adaptation for fast running, also seen in ornithomimosaurs
and tyrannosaurs
). This suggests that it was more advanced than primitive alvarezsaurids which lacked this foot structure, like Alvarezsaurus
and Patagonykus
. It was probably more closely related to contemporary Mongolian species.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of alvarezsaurid
Alvarezsauridae
Alvarezsauridae is an enigmatic family of small, long-legged running dinosaurs. Although originally thought to represent the earliest known flightless birds, a consensus of recent work suggests that they are primitive members of the Maniraptora. Other work found them to be the sister group to the...
theropod dinosaur
Dinosaur
Dinosaurs are a diverse group of animals of the clade and superorder Dinosauria. They were the dominant terrestrial vertebrates for over 160 million years, from the late Triassic period until the end of the Cretaceous , when the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event led to the extinction of...
from the Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous
The Late Cretaceous is the younger of two epochs into which the Cretaceous period is divided in the geologic timescale. Rock strata from this epoch form the Upper Cretaceous series...
of Mongolia
Mongolia
Mongolia is a landlocked country in East and Central Asia. It is bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south, east and west. Although Mongolia does not share a border with Kazakhstan, its western-most point is only from Kazakhstan's eastern tip. Ulan Bator, the capital and largest...
. The type specimen was excavated from the Ukhaa Tolgod locality of the Djadochta Formation
Djadochta Formation
The Djadochta Formation is situated in central Asia and dates from the Late Cretaceous Period. Laid down in the early Campanian, possibly starting in the latest Santonian, it is dated somewhat uncertainly at about 84-75 mya...
, dating to about 75 million years ago. It is believed to have been about twice the size of the contemporary Shuvuuia
Shuvuuia
Shuvuuia is a genus of bird-like theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period of Mongolia. It is a member of the family Alvarezsauridae, small coelurosaurian dinosaurs which are characterized by short but powerful forelimbs specialized for digging. The type species is Shuvuuia deserti, or...
. However, unlike Shuvuuia, which is known from many well preserved specimens, and although Ukhaa Tolgod has been thoroughly explored, Kol is known only from one complete foot, suggesting that it must have been relatively rare in that ecosystem.
The binomial name Kol ghuva comes from the Mongolian
Mongolian language
The Mongolian language is the official language of Mongolia and the best-known member of the Mongolic language family. The number of speakers across all its dialects may be 5.2 million, including the vast majority of the residents of Mongolia and many of the Mongolian residents of the Inner...
köl, "foot" and ghuv-a, "beautiful." Kol and Mei
Mei (dinosaur)
Mei is a genus of duck-sized troodontid dinosaur first unearthed by paleontologists in Liaoning, China in 2004. Mei lived during the Early Cretaceous Period. Its binomial name, Mei long means sleeping dragon...
have the shortest generic names of any dinosaur.
Because of the incomplete nature of the type specimen (catalog number IGM 100/2011), the exact relationship of Kol to other alvarezsaurids has been difficult to determine. However, Kol shows an extreme arctometatarsalian condition of the foot bones, in which the middle metatarsal is severely pinched between the outer bones (usually considered an adaptation for fast running, also seen in ornithomimosaurs
Ornithomimosauria
The Ornithomimosauria, ornithomimosaurs or ostrich dinosaurs were theropod dinosaurs which bore a superficial resemblance to modern ostriches. They were fast, omnivorous or herbivorous dinosaurs from the Cretaceous Period of Laurasia...
and tyrannosaurs
Tyrannosauroidea
Tyrannosauroidea is a superfamily of coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs that includes the family Tyrannosauridae as well as more basal relatives. Tyrannosauroids lived on the Laurasian supercontinent beginning in the Jurassic Period...
). This suggests that it was more advanced than primitive alvarezsaurids which lacked this foot structure, like Alvarezsaurus
Alvarezsaurus
Alvarezsaurus is a genus of small alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous period of Argentina, approximately 86 - 83 million years ago. Estimates suggest that it measured about 2 meters in length and weighed approximately 20 kg...
and Patagonykus
Patagonykus
Patagonykus is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. This alvarezsaur was discovered in exposures of the Portezuelo Member of the Rio Neuquen Formation in the Neuquen Province of Argentina...
. It was probably more closely related to contemporary Mongolian species.