Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani
"Minos"
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (75–71 Mya)
- Place
- Mongolia
- Food
- Herbivore
- Clade
- Ankylosauridae Dinosauria Ornithischia Thyreophora Ankylosauria Club-tailed armored herbivores.
Minotaurasaurus (meaning “Minos’-bull reptile”) is a monospecific genus of ankylosaurid dinosaur that lived in Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous (late Campanian stage, ~75-71 Ma) in what is now the Djadochta Formation. The type and only species, Minotaurasaurus ramachandrani, is known from two skulls, a cervical vertebra and a cervical half ring. It was named and described in 2009 by Clifford Miles and Clark Miles. The holotype of Minotaurasaurus has been suspected to be illegally exported out of Mongolia. It has been suggested to be a synonym of Tarchia but more recent publications consider it as a distinct genus.
Minotaurasaurus was a medium-sized ankylosaurid, with an estimated length of 4.2 metres (13.8 feet), although it may have reached larger sizes as the type specimen represents an immature individual.
What we know
- Named by Miles & Miles, 2009.
- Fossils found in Mongolia.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Minotaurasaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.