Kulindadromeus Zabaikaensis

## ข้อมูลหลัก

***Kulindadromeus*** was a herbivorous dinosaur, a basal neornithischian from the Jurassic. The first *Kulindadromeus* fossil was found in Russia. Its feather-like integument is evidence for protofeathers being basal to Dinosauria as a whole, rather than just to Coelurosauria, as previously suspected.

## Wikipedia

***Kulindadromeus*** was a herbivorous dinosaur, a basal neornithischian from the Jurassic. The first *Kulindadromeus* fossil was found in Russia. Its feather-like integument is evidence for protofeathers being basal to Dinosauria as a whole, rather than just to Coelurosauria, as previously suspected.

Like other early neornithischians, *Kulindadromeus* was a bipedal runner, approximately 1.5 meters in length.[2] It had a short head, short forelimbs, long hindlimbs and a long tail.[3]

The describers of *Kulindadromeus* established some distinguishing traits. The front ascending branch of the maxilla is much lower than the rear ascending branch. The *fenestra maxillaris* is larger than the antorbital fenestra, the usually more extensive skull opening in the snout side. The branch of the jugal towards the postorbital is notched. The postorbital has a rear branch that is vertically expanded. The rear blade of the ilium is slender in side view. The second, third and fourth metatarsals have deep grooves for the tendons of the extensor muscles.[3]

Various specimens of *Kulindadromeus* show large parts of its integument. This includes imbricated rows of scales on top of its tail and also a covering of scales branching into feather-like structures, which until its discovery were thought to be exclusive to the Theropoda, of the saurischian line.[3] The feather remains discovered are of three types, adding a level of complexity to the evolution of feathers in dinosaurs.[2] The first type consists of hair-like filaments covering the trunk, neck and head. These are up to three centimetres long and resemble the stage 1 "dino-fuzz" already known from theropods like *Sinosauropteryx*. The second type is represented by groups of six or seven downwards-projecting filaments up to 1.5 centimetres long, originating from a base plate. These are present on the upper arm and thigh. They resemble the type 3 feathers of theropods. The base plates are ordered in a hexagonal pattern but do not touch each other. The third type is unique. It was found on the upper lower legs and consists of bundles of six or seven ribbon-like structures, up to two centimetres long. Each ribbon is constructed from about ten parallel filaments up to 0.1 millimetres wide.[3]

There are also three types of scales. Overlapping hexagonal scales, up to 3.5 millimetres in diameter, are present on the lower shins. Small round non-overlapping scales, less than one millimetre in cross-section, cover the hands, ankles and feet. The top of the tail is covered by five longitudinal rows of arched rectangular scales, measuring up to one by two centimetres. With these scales the trailing edge of each scale slightly overlaps the front edge of the scale behind it. In the middle, to the contrary, a small spur projects forward, covering the trailing edge of the preceding scale. This way an imbricated row is formed. The scale surface is smooth and the thickness is limited, less than 0.1 millimetres. The authors considered it unlikely these structures were ossified scutes or osteoderms. Towards the rear of the tail, the scales become smaller and more rounded; they then no longer overlap each other.[3]

## Prehistoric Wildlife

**Name:***Kulindadromeus* ‭(‬Kulinda dromeus‭)‬.
**Phonetic:** Ku-lin-ah-dro-me-us.
**Named By:** P.‭ ‬Godefroit,‭ ‬S.‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Sinitsa,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬Dhouailly,‭ ‬Y.‭ ‬L.‭ ‬Bolotsky,‭ ‬A.‭ ‬V.‭ ‬Sizov,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬E.‭ ‬McNamara,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Benton‭ & ‬O.‭ ‬Spagna‭ ‬-‭ ‬2014.
**Synonyms:***Kulindapteryx ukureica,‭ ‬Daurosaurus olovus.*
**Classification:** Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Ornithischia,‭ ‬Neornithischia.
**Species:***K.‭ ‬zabaikalicus‭* (‬type‭)‬.
**Diet:** Herbivore.
**Size:** About‭ ‬1.5‭ ‬meters long.
**Known locations:** Russia‭ ‬-‭ ‬Ukureyskaya Formation.
**Time period:** Mid-Late Jurassic.
**Fossil representation:** Several individuals,‭ ‬ranging from juvenile to adult.

       As far as the skeleton of *Kulindadromeus* is concerned,‭ ‬this genus was pretty much like any other small ornithischian dinosaur of the Jurassic.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬while most other ornithischian dinosaurs have been described from bones,‭ ‬extra fossils were available for *Kulindadromeus*,‭ ‬and these revealed a startling revelation:‭*‬Kulindadromeus* had a body that was covered in feathers.
       To be fair *Kulindadromeus* was not the first ornithischian‭ (‬bird hipped‭) ‬dinosaur discovered to have feathers.‭ ‬In‭ ‬2009‭ ‬a genus called *Tianyulong* was discovered to have primitive feather structures similar to quills growing up from its back,‭ ‬and the genus *Psittacosaurus* also had quill-like feathers growing from the tail.‭ ‬What *Kulindadromeus* shows us though is that feathers were not just more common in ornithischian dinosaurs,‭ ‬but that they were far more diverse than previously thought.‭ ‬The feathers on *Kulindadromeus* seem to have created a downy fluff covering that grew over most of the body,‭ ‬the only exceptions being the tail and lower legs.‭ ‬This also reinforces the theory that feather growth was not just the preserve of some theropod dinosaurs,‭ ‬but that all dinosaurs could potentially have the genetic markers buried within their DNA to grow hair-like feathers.

*Kulindadromeus* was a small plant eating dinosaur that like its relatives,‭ ‬would have relied upon a combination of keen reflexes and speed to evade the mouths of predatory dinosaurs.

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