Genus
Valid Extinct

Citipati

Clark et al. 2001

Citipati is a genus of oviraptorid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. It is mainly known from the Ukhaa Tolgod locality at the Djadochta Formation, where the first remains were collected during the 1990s. The genus and type species Citipati osmolskae were named and described in 2001. A second species from the adjacent Zamyn Khondt locality may also exist. Citipati is one of the best-known oviraptorids thanks to a number of well-preserved specimens, including individuals found in brooding positions atop nests of eggs, though most of them were initially referred to the related Oviraptor. These nesting specimens have helped to solidify the link between non-avian dinosaurs and birds.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
2
Group
Dinosaures
Omnivore Ground dwelling (surface) Terrestrial
Citipati
click to enlarge
The "Big Mama" Citipati osmolskae skeleton (IGM 100/979) on display at the American Museum of Natural History. © Jonathan Chen · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB Wikipedia
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
Theropoda Unranked clade
Neotheropoda Unranked clade
Averostra Unranked clade
Tetanurae Unranked clade
Coelurosauria Unranked clade
Maniraptora Unranked clade
Oviraptorosauria Infraorder
Oviraptoridae Family
Citipatinae Subfamily
Citipati Genus
Fossil sites 2 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇲🇳 Mongolia
2
Geological formations
Temporal distribution
Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)
2
Species (1)
Citipati osmolskae 84 Ma
Images 1
Bibliography
Original description
J. M. Clark, M. A. Norell, and R. Barsbold. 2001. Two new oviraptorids (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria), Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation, Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21(2):209-213 DOI ↗
Bibliography (2)
M. A. Norell, A. M. Balanoff, and D. E. Barta, G. M. Erickson. 2018. A second specimen of Citipati osmolskae associated with a nest of eggs from Ukhaa Tolgod, Omnogov Aimag, Mongolia. American Museum Novitates 3899:1-44 DOI ↗
J. M. Clark, M. A. Norell, and R. Barsbold. 2001. Two new oviraptorids (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria), Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation, Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 21(2):209-213 DOI ↗