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Description
Illustrated by the great Sheather888.

Among the Oviraptorosaurs found in the late Paleocene rocks of the Turpan Basin, China, the large and herbivorous Qiemolong ossifragus stood out from the crowd by being the only Caenagnathid present. It also towered above its Oviraptorid contemporaries, standing approximately 2m tall and measuring 5.5m from beak to tail tip. Upon its initial discovery, this animal was only known from a few skull fragments. As these were unusually massive and heavily built, Qiemolong was interpreted as a bone crushing predator/scavenger (hence the species name). However, a newly published paper by Wang et al. has challenged this, comparing the heavy beak of Q. ossifragus to those of the extinct Dromornithid birds from Australia of OE.

Also, the recent discovery of hind limb elements indicates that this genus was not cursorial which further suggests a herbivorous diet consisting of tough vegetation and/or seeds and nuts. Another interesting debate surrounds this genus and concerns its relationships. It is clearly a member of Caenagnanthidae, but Qiemolong is so different from other members of its family that it has proven almost impossible to classify. This is not helped by the fact that no transitional forms have as yet been discovered in older rocks that show a link between this animal and more ‘typical’ Oviraptorosaurs. As such, Qiemolong’s ancestors may have migrated to China via the Bering Land Bridge but this will remain mere speculation until further fossils are discovered.

Description
Illustrated by the great Sheather888.

Among the Oviraptorosaurs found in the late Paleocene rocks of the Turpan Basin, China, the large and herbivorous Qiemolong ossifragus stood out from the crowd by being the only Caenagnathid present. It also towered above its Oviraptorid contemporaries, standing approximately 2m tall and measuring 5.5m from beak to tail tip. Upon its initial discovery, this animal was only known from a few skull fragments. As these were unusually massive and heavily built, Qiemolong was interpreted as a bone crushing predator/scavenger (hence the species name). However, a newly published paper by Wang et al. has challenged this, comparing the heavy beak of Q. ossifragus to those of the extinct Dromornithid birds from Australia of OE.

Also, the recent discovery of hind limb elements indicates that this genus was not cursorial which further suggests a herbivorous diet consisting of tough vegetation and/or seeds and nuts. Another interesting debate surrounds this genus and concerns its relationships. It is clearly a member of Caenagnanthidae, but Qiemolong is so different from other members of its family that it has proven almost impossible to classify. This is not helped by the fact that no transitional forms have as yet been discovered in older rocks that show a link between this animal and more ‘typical’ Oviraptorosaurs. As such, Qiemolong’s ancestors may have migrated to China via the Bering Land Bridge but this will remain mere speculation until further fossils are discovered.