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Description

While pennaraptors are typically small sized theropods, with the biggest species usually not being more then bear-sized, there is one very appropriately named species that is a notable exeption : the late Cretaceous, Chinese caenagnathid Gigantoraptor erlianensis, a dinosaur that was pretty much a standard oviraptosaur in every way exepet for one thing, it was huge. With a length of 8 m and weight of nearly 2 tonnes, this giant stem-bird was far larger than any of it's closest kin and rivaled most tyrannosaurs in size.

It's fossils have been found in the Iren Dabasu Formation of Inner Mongolia which has a notoriously controversial date, with different scientists claiming varying chronological dates from 90 mya to 70 mya.

Fun fact, the head coloration and wrinkles were inspired by the King vulture, otherwise known as the avian answer to a mandrill : www.google.me/search?q=king+vu…

Description

While pennaraptors are typically small sized theropods, with the biggest species usually not being more then bear-sized, there is one very appropriately named species that is a notable exeption : the late Cretaceous, Chinese caenagnathid Gigantoraptor erlianensis, a dinosaur that was pretty much a standard oviraptosaur in every way exepet for one thing, it was huge. With a length of 8 m and weight of nearly 2 tonnes, this giant stem-bird was far larger than any of it's closest kin and rivaled most tyrannosaurs in size.

It's fossils have been found in the Iren Dabasu Formation of Inner Mongolia which has a notoriously controversial date, with different scientists claiming varying chronological dates from 90 mya to 70 mya.

Fun fact, the head coloration and wrinkles were inspired by the King vulture, otherwise known as the avian answer to a mandrill : www.google.me/search?q=king+vu…