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Juvenile ceratopsians from Mongolia—the smallest known dinosaur specimens

Abstract

Among dinosaurs collected by the Third Asiatic Expedition of the American Museum of Natural History (New York) are two juveniles each of which is smaller than any hitherto reported dinosaur specimen. Their overall anatomy resembles that of the type specimen of Psittacosaurus mongoliensis (AMNH 6254)1, which was collected from the same horizon and locality: the Lower Cretaceous Oshih Formation, Artsa Bogdo Basin, Mongolian Peoples' Republic. The anatomy of the new specimens confirms Psittacosaurus as a ceratopsian, not an ornithopod, and their minute size precludes both post-hatching parental care and endothermy.

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Coombs, W. Juvenile ceratopsians from Mongolia—the smallest known dinosaur specimens. Nature 283, 380–381 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1038/283380a0

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