Anzu wyliei
Anzu lived about 66 million years ago in what is now North and South Dakota. It is one of the most complete and well-known examples of an oviraptorosaur in the United States. Oviraptorosaurs were divided into two main groups: the early and more primitive protoarchaeopterygids, and the later caenagnathoids. Within the caenagnathoids are the oviraptorids which were limited to Asia, and the more widespread and larger caenagnathids, which includes Anzu wyliei.
Kingdom - Animalia
Phylum – Chordata
Class – Reptilia
Order – Saurischia
Suborder – Therapoda
Family - Caenagnathidae
Subfamily - Caenagnathinae
Genus – Anzu
Species – A. wyliei
Name Meaning – Named for a Mesopotamian feathered demon
Anzu, as a member of the Caenagnathidae family, had a weaker, less heavy beak than its cousins in the family Oviraptoridae, found mostly in Asia. Thus, its diet was probably omnivorous and herbivorous, feeding on plants and perhaps small animals and eggs. Floodplains and coastal woodlands were its habitat, unlike Asian oviraptorids that lived in dry, desert-like environments.
Like other oviraptorosaurs, Anzu featured a beaked head with a large rounded crest, and a slender body with long legs and a short tail. It was likely covered with feathers, and was overall very bird-like in its appearance. While it had no teeth, it had a number of tooth-like structures within its beak that helped it to chew its food. It was one of the largest oviraptorosaurs, and the largest example found in North America.
Height: 4.9 feet (1.5 meters) at the hips
Length – 11 feet (3.5 meters)
Weight – Up to 660 lbs. (300 kg)
Fred Nuss discovered the first remains of Anzu in 1998 in South Dakota. In total, four specimens have been discovered, which when put together represent a nearly complete look at the animal’s skeleton. In 2006, three separate researchers working on the remains of the different specimens noted that they were all likely researching the same animal, and decided to combine their efforts together. Anzu is the first example of an oviraptorosaur in North America to be known from more than just fragmentary remains.
References:
The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs, Gregory S. Paul, 2ndEdition, 2016.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anzu_(dinosaur)
Safari Ltd Anzu Toys: