Pronunciation: ah-NOH-muh-lih-peez
Meaning: Peculiar foot
Author/s: Yu et al. (2018)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Shandong, China
Acta Ordinal: #992
Anomalipes zhaoi
Anomalipes zhaoi is known from only a partial hindlimb, yet it earns its place in the Late Cretaceous story of Zhucheng through the very peculiarity that gives it its name. Discovered in the famous bonebeds of the gigantic duck-billed hadrosaurid Shantungosaurus, this small caenagnathid oviraptorosaur stands out for its unusually proportioned foot—an asymmetric, "odd'shaped" arrangement of metatarsals and toes that suggests a distinctive role (a distinctive style of movement?) within its ecosystem.
Though represented by limited material, Anomalipes helps flesh out the remarkable size range of Oviraptorosauria. It sits in the middle ground—smaller than most caenagnathids but larger than typical oviraptorids—highlighting that members of Caenagnathidae come in an unusually wide range of sizes, from petite forms like the chicken-sized Caenagnathasia to multi-ton giants like Gigantoraptor, while their oviraptorid relatives mostly tend to cluster toward the modest end. Even a fragmentary specimen like Anomalipes helps map that spread and hints at the varied ecological roles these bird-like theropods explored.
Though represented by limited material, Anomalipes helps flesh out the remarkable size range of Oviraptorosauria. It sits in the middle ground—smaller than most caenagnathids but larger than typical oviraptorids—highlighting that members of Caenagnathidae come in an unusually wide range of sizes, from petite forms like the chicken-sized Caenagnathasia to multi-ton giants like Gigantoraptor, while their oviraptorid relatives mostly tend to cluster toward the modest end. Even a fragmentary specimen like Anomalipes helps map that spread and hints at the varied ecological roles these bird-like theropods explored.
(Zhao's peculiar foot)Etymology
Anomalipes is derived from the Latin "anomalus" (peculiar, abnormal, odd, not easily classified) and "pes" (foot), referring to the unusual shape of
its foot.
The species epithet, zhaoi (JOW-ee), honours Chinese palaeontologist Xijin Zhao, for his great contributions to research on Zhucheng dinosaur fossils.
Discovery
The remains of Anomalipes were discovered in the Xingezhuang Formation, within a
Shantungosaurus bonebed at the Kugou locality (Wangshi Group), Zhucheng City, Shandong Province, China.The holotype (ZCDM V0020, housed at Zhucheng Dinosaur Museum, Zhucheng, Shandong) is an incomplete left hind-limb, including a partial left thigh, shin and calf, a complete metatarsal III and two toe bones.
