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Erlikosaurus

(er-LIK-uh-sawr-us)

This flesh eater was found among remains dug up in Mongolia. It belonged to a strange branch of the big carnosaur (flesh lizard) group. Other families belonged to types like Tyrannosaurus, Allosaurus, and Megalosaurus. Erlikosaurus belonged to the family of "slow lizard," or segnosaurid, dinosaurs. It was named in 1980, and most scientists think it was a direct descendent of Megalosaurus. Erlikosaurus appeared late, more than 100 million years after Megalosaurus first walked the earth.

Erlikosaurus did not look like Megalosaurus,though. It looked more like Deinonychus in size, but had longer arms and smaller teeth. Its top lip ended in a toothless beak. It had four toes, each with a long claw. It is believed its feet may have been webbed like a duck's. Other members of the same family were even bigger than erlikosaurus. One, called Segnosaurus, was 30 feet long and stood more than 8 feet tall.


Location: Omnogov, Mongolia and Alberta, Canada

Size: Length- 20 feet (6m)

Classification:

Family-Segnosauridae
Suborder- Segnosauria
Order- Saurischia

Time: Late Cretaceous

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