| Natovenator Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
|---|---|
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| An artist's illustration of Natovenator polydontus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Order: | Saurischia |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Dromaeosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Halszkaraptorinae |
| Genus: | †Natovenator Lee, 2022 |
| Species: | †N. polydontus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Natovenator polydontus Lee, 2022 | |
Natovenator (meaning swim/swimming-hunter) is a genus of halszkaraptorine theropod dinosaur from the Barun Goyot Formation of Mongolia, from 71 to 75 million years ago, in what would be the Late Cretaceous. The only specimen was discovered in 2022, and the only known species is N. polydontus.
Discovery and naming[]
Natovenator skeletal and elements
The holotype specimen of Natoventor (MPC-D 102/114) was found in sediments of the Barun Goyot Formation of Omnogovi Province, Mongolia. The specimen consists of a skeleton, which is mostly articulated and well preserved with an intact skull.
Natoventor was discovered in 2022, and was officially described on December 1st of that year. "Natovenator" means "swim hunter", from the Latin words "nato", which means "swim", and "venator", meaning "hunter". The specific name, "polydontus", comes from the Greek words "polys", meaning "many", and "odous", meaning "tooth".
The discovery of Natovenator is important, as it helps the understanding of halszkaraptorines, and because it provides more support for the semi-aquatic lifestyle that had been suggested for this clade, which had also been contested earlier in 2022. This is also one of the few dinosaurs confirmed to have a semi-aquatic nature, with previous genera like Spinosaurus having a rocky history and mixed evidence for their nature.
Description[]
Holotype skull
Natovenator was a small halszkaraptorine that was similar in appearance to extant waterfowl. Like other members in its family, it possessed a light frame with a feathered coat. The neck of this creature was quite long with a small pointed skull.
Certain morphological characteristics have lead researchers to hypothesize a possible semi-aquatic lifestyle. The shaping of the ribcage pointing nearly directly backwards rather than pointed down has some similarities to modern marine birds, and the skull also has been found as streamlined, making it perfect for diving and swimming. The specimen also preserves many aquatic characteristics similar to Halszkaraptor.
Parapophyses in the vertebrae of Natovenator's specimen have been noted to be similar to ones in Hesperornithiformes, which are extinct diving birds with teeth.
Classification[]
Phylogenetic analyses and morphological observations done by Lee et al. (2022) recovered Natoventor as a derived member of the Halszkaraptorinae, and found Halszkaraptor to be the most basal member of this group.
Paleoecology[]
Due to the hypothesis of an aquatic nature, Natovenator could have spent much of its time near water hunting for fish and other aquatic creatures. In 2022, Lee and colleagues described Natovenator as an efficient semi-aquatic swimming dromaeosaurid. This is due to the aquatic adaptations in Natovenator which are convergent with many modern-day aquatic animals.
Nix Illustration of Natovenator
Such adaptations include an elongated neck similar to ones in aquatic birds, an elongated snout with teeth arranged for catching evasive prey such as fish, a delayed replacement pattern of premaxillary teeth, retracted nares, a complex neurovascular system, and vertebral zygapophyses. Natovenator also possessed a streamlined body, and forelimb proportions similar to birds that use their wings for swimming. The feathery coat of Natovenator could've also had an oily covering to keep feathers dry like in modern aquatic birds.
Thus, Lee and colleagues suggested that its forelimbs acted as flippers for propulsion when swimming, but the exact aquatic locomotion of Natovenator is still unknown.
Paleoenvironment[]
Natovenator lived in the Barun Goyot Formation, which was a desert-like environment, similar to Mongolia today but with a slightly more humid climate.
Gallery[]
