biology

Ojoraptorsaurus

Ojoraptorsaurus is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Ojoraptorsaurus rather than just read about it. In short: Ojoraptorsaurus is a dubious genus of oviraptorosaurian dinosaur from the late Cretaceous. Ojoraptorsaurus is only known from pubic bones found at the Naashoibito Member of the Ojo Alamo Formation dating to the late Maastrichtian, about 66 million years ago.

Key takeaways

Ojoraptorsaurus belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Ojoraptorsaurus to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Ojoraptorsaurus from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Ojoraptorsaurus is a dubious genus of oviraptorosaurian dinosaur from the late Cretaceous. Ojoraptorsaurus is only known from pubic bones found at the Naashoibito Member of the Ojo Alamo Formation dating to the late Maastrichtian, about 66 million years ago. It was first named by Robert M. Sullivan, Steven E. Jasinski and Mark P.A. van Tomme in 2011 and the type species is Ojoraptorsaurus boerei. The generic name combines a reference to the formation with a Latin raptor, "plunderer", and a Latinised Greek saurus, "lizard". The specific name honours oceanographer Arjan Boeré who found the specimen.

Description

The holotype of Ojoraptorsaurus is SMP VP-1458, an incomplete pair of fused pubes. Due to the fusion of the pubes, this specimen is believed to have been a mature individual. Most caenagnathid species are known from very few remains, and Ojoraptorsaurus is no exception. The holotype was compared to well-described pubic remains of other oviraptorosaurians, namely Microvenator, Epichirostenotes, Nomingia, and CM 78001 (now known as Anzu). It shares with the latter three taxa an enclosed fossa on the inside edge of the pubis near the acetabular rim, a trait which may be diagnostic to caenagnathids (in which case Nomingia is a caenagnathid). Ojoraptorsaurus's fossa is further away from the acetabular rim than those of the other species, a feature characteristic to the genus. Among compared oviraptorosaurians, Ojoraptorsaurus is most similar to Epichirostenotes, a genus differentiated from Chirostenotes in the same paper that Ojoraptorsarus was described in. By comparing pubic proportions with those of CM 78001 (Anzu), Ojoraptorsaurus has been estimated to have been about 1.8 to 2.1 meters (5.9 to 6.9 ft) in length, about 20% smaller than Epichirostenotes. In its 2011 description, Ojoraptorsaurus was suggested to differ from other caenagnathids due to possessing the following autapomorphies:

A “spoon-shaped” depression on the anterior dorsal surface of the pubic boot. An enclosed fossa on the inside edge of the pubis which lies 1 centimeter away from the acetabular rim. The portion of the pubic shaft directly above the pubic boot being slightly anteriorly convex. A sub-trapezoidal iliac peduncle articular surface of the pubis. In 2024, Wick, Lehman & Fortner suggested that Ojoraptorsaurus should be best regarded as an indeterminate caenagnathid in need of additional specimens to verify its validity, since the initial diagnosis on the ostensibly diagnostic features of the poorly preserved holotype is most likely a result of taphonomic distortion and the allegedly diagnostic feature of its pubic foot is also known in other oviraptorosaurs. In the same year, Funston, Williamson & Brusatte suggested that, even though Ojoraptorsaurus could be seen as distinct due to its unique stratigraphic position and provenance, it should be considered a nomen dubium since none of the supposed unique features are actually diagnostic for caenagnathids, and some may result from taphonomic distortion.

See also Timeline of oviraptorosaur research

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Ojoraptorsaurus

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Ojoraptorsaurus claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Ojoraptorsaurus before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Ojoraptorsaurus ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Ojoraptorsaurus

In research: Ojoraptorsaurus appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Ojoraptorsaurus in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Ojoraptorsaurus is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Caenagnathidae, Dinosaur genera, Dinosaurs of the United States, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Ojoraptorsaurus outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Ojoraptorsaurus” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Ojoraptorsaurus in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Ojoraptorsaurus means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Ojoraptorsaurus out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ojoraptorsaurus in simple terms?

Why does Ojoraptorsaurus matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Ojoraptorsaurus?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Ojoraptorsaurus.