Pronunciation: Oak-soak-oh
Meaning: Three-headed eagle
Author/s: Funston et al. (2020)
Synonyms: None known
First Discovery: Mongolia
Discovery Chart Position: #1027
Oksoko avarsan
(Rescued three-headed eagle)Etymology
Oksoko is named after the three-headed eagle of Altaic mythology, in reference to the fact that the holotype assemblage preserves three skulls. The species epithet, avarsan, means "rescued" in Mongolian, reflecting the fossils confiscation from poachers and/or smugglers.
ZooBank registry: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4B9B99B5-08DF-44C9-8D95-2DC1F14E1452.
Discovery
The holotype remains of Oksoko were found in, and taken from, what palaeontologists believe to be the Nemegt Formation at Bugin Tsav, Mongolia, by fossil poachers, god knows when. The holotype (MPC-D 102/110a) is a nearly complete juvenile skeleton missing only the last half of the tail that was confiscated before leaving the country by the General Intelligence Agency of Mongolia in December 2006.
Referred specimens:
MPC-D 102/110b, a nearly complete juvenile skeleton and MPC-D 10 2/110c, a partial juvenile postcranial skeleton were discovered in the same block as the holotype.
MPC-D 102/11, a partial juvenile skeleton with skull, was confiscated at the same time as the holotype and is likely from the same assemblage given their similar extraordinary postures, crouched in life positions.
MPC-D 100/33 (collected legitimately by the Soviet-Mongolian Palaeontological Expedition in 1974 at Bugiin Tsav), is a partial subadult postcranial skeleton;
MPC-D 102/12 (discovered by Ch. Bayardorj and collected legitimately during a joint expedition from the Hayashibara Museum of Natural Sciences and the Mongolian Palaeontological Center in 1998 at Guriliin Tsav), is an adult postcranial skeleton. Manual ungual I-2 was recovered in 2018 when the site was revisited.
Between the known specimens, the entire skeleton of Oksoko avarsan is represented.
