Oviraptor Characteristics

Oviraptor measured 6 - 8 feet (1.8 - 2.5 metres) in length, 2.6 feet (0.8 metres) in height and weighed around 25 - 35 kilograms (55 - 76 pounds). It was a lightly built, bipedal dinosaur that had long legs and was fast moving. Oviraptor had a curved, 's' shaped neck and a strange parrot-like head. It had a toothless beak and powerful jaws built for crushing prey. Oviraptor had powerful hind legs with 3 clawed toes on each foot and strong short forearms with 3 clawed fingers on each hand. The fingers were long and grasping and the claws measured 3 inches (8 centimetres) in length. A small, stumpy horn-like crest sat on its snout and was probably used for mating displays. The crest could differ between Oviraptor species and for males, females and juveniles.

Oviraptor was a relatively large-brained dinosaur that cared for its eggs. Oviraptor walked on 2 long, slender, bird-like legs. It must have been a fast runner, considering its long legs and light weight. It could perhaps perhaps run about as quickly as an ostrich, which can run up to 43 miles per hour (70 kilometres per hour).

A relative of Oviraptor called Nomingia was found with a pygostyle, which is a set of fused vertebrae that would later help support the tail feathers of birds. Skin impressions from more primitive oviraptorosaurs, like Caudipteryx and Protarchaeopteryx, clearly show an extensive covering of feathers on the body, feathered wings and feathered tail fans.

Oviraptor was probably an omnivore, which is unusual for dinosaurs. It probably ate meat, fruit, shellfish, eggs, seeds, insects and plants with its beak and powerful jaws.

In 1924, an Oviraptor fossil was found on top of some eggs (which contained no fossilized embryos), and scientists assumed that it had been eating the eggs. However, recently in Mongolia, paleontologists found some eggs containing fossilized embryos that were identified as embryonic Oviraptors. These eggs were very similar to those eggs found in 1924 that originally implicated the Oviraptor as a thief. If would seem that the Oviraptor fossil in 1924 was probably a parent of the eggs in the nest, and not an egg stealer but a nurturer.

Oviraptor was first found in the Gobi desert (in Mongolia) in1924 and was described and named by Henry F. Osborn. Fossilized Oviraptor skeletons and eggs have been found in southern Mongolia.