Name:
Zanabazar (after a Buddhist spiritual leader); pronounced ZAH-nah-bah-ZAR
Habitat:
Woodlands of central Asia
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (70-65 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 6 feet long and 100 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Relatively large size; bipedal posture; probably feathers
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About Zanabazar:
If the name Zanabazar sounds unfamiliar, that's only partly because this dinosaur ducked the usual Greek naming conventions and was christened after a Buddhist spiritual figure.
The fact is, this close relative of Troodon was once thought to be a species of Saurornithoides, until a closer examination of its remains (25 years after they were first discovered) prompted a reassignment to its own genus. Essentially, Zanabazar was one of the prototypical "dino-birds" of late Cretaceous central Asia, an unusually smart predator that subsisted on smaller dinosaurs and mammals.
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