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Tsaagan mangas
"monster white"
Tsaagan mangas

First described in 2006 by a team from the American Museum of Natural History, Tsaagan mangas is a raptor closely related to Velociraptor, and close in proximity as well, having been recovered from the same formation (the Flaming Cliffs of Mongolia, Djadochta Formation). However, it did not live alongside Velociraptor, as it is the only known dromaeosaurid from the Ukhaa Tolgod locality. Tsaagan is known only from a well-preserved skull and some neck vertebrae, enough to set it apart from its relative in the fine details. The drawing here is based on photos of this skull, which has a very distinct character to it, so I chose to restore it without a heavy covering of feathers to better emphazize the shape.

For more on Tsaagan, see the Wikipedia article I helped edit.

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DESCRIPTION
Length: ~2m (6.5ft)
Weight: ~15kg (33lbs)
Location: Djadochta Formation, Flaming Cliffs, Mongolia
Time: early Campanian age, Upper Cretaceous (~80 Ma)

CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Stem-Aves
Family: Ornithodesmidae
Genus: Tsaagan
Species: T. mangas

SYSTEMATICS
Sauropsida
Diapsida
Archosauria
Ornithosuchia
Dinosauria
Theropoda
Coelurosauria
Maniraptora
Dromaeosauridae

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