PropertyValue
rdf:type
rdfs:label
  • Citipati
rdfs:comment
  • Citipati (Sanskrit for 'funeral pyre lord') is a genus of oviraptorid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now Mongolia (specifically, the Djadokhta Formation of Ukhaa Tolgod, in the Gobi Desert). It is one of the best-known oviraptorids, thanks to a number of well-preserved skeletons, including several specimens found in brooding positions atop nests of eggs. These nesting specimens have helped to solidify the link between non-avian dinosaurs and birds.
  • Citipati was an oviraptorosaur from Late Cretaceous Mongolia named after the ancient Sanskrit god.
  • The largest Citipati were emu-sized animals and, at about 3 meters (10 ft) long, were the largest known oviraptorids until Gigantoraptor was described in 2007. Like other oviraptorids, Citipati had an unusually long neck and shortened tail, compared to most other theropods. Its skull was unusually short and highly pneumatized (riddled with openings in the bone structure), ending in a stout, toothless beak. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Citipati was its tall crest, superficially similar to that of a modern cassowary. The crest was relatively low in the type species, C. osmolskae, with a nearly vertical front margin grading into the beak. In contrast, the crest of one referred specimen which has not yet been assigned a specific name (provisionally labeled C. sp.) was taller, with a
  • In Tibetan Animist belief, Citipati are graveyard demons portrayed as dancing skeletons. Their name means "lord of the graveyard". The Citipati are two skeletons, one of a man and the other of a woman, represented with arms and legs interlaced, dancing the Tsam dance. They are considered to be masters of the cemetery. The Citipati are one of the seventy-five forms of Mahakala and are visible reminders of the impermanence of everything worldly. Their mouths are parted in a large grin, showing all their teeth. Each wears a long scarf.
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subdivision ranks
Range
Appearances
  • Walking with Dinosaurs: Inside Their World
Familia
Status
  • fossil
Name
  • Citipati
subordo
ordo
fossil range
genus authority
  • Clark, Norell, & Barsbold, 2001
Image caption
  • Upper portion of a Citipati osmolskae skull.
superordo
  • Dinosauria
ATT
  • Bird-like appearance
Genus
  • Citipati
subdivision
  • * C. osmolskae * C. sp''
Color
  • pink
Image width
  • 200
Time
  • Late Cretaceous
Diet
  • Omnivore
superfamilia
classis
  • Sauropsida
Phylum
regnum
  • Animalia
abstract
  • Citipati (Sanskrit for 'funeral pyre lord') is a genus of oviraptorid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Period of what is now Mongolia (specifically, the Djadokhta Formation of Ukhaa Tolgod, in the Gobi Desert). It is one of the best-known oviraptorids, thanks to a number of well-preserved skeletons, including several specimens found in brooding positions atop nests of eggs. These nesting specimens have helped to solidify the link between non-avian dinosaurs and birds.
  • Citipati was an oviraptorosaur from Late Cretaceous Mongolia named after the ancient Sanskrit god.
  • The largest Citipati were emu-sized animals and, at about 3 meters (10 ft) long, were the largest known oviraptorids until Gigantoraptor was described in 2007. Like other oviraptorids, Citipati had an unusually long neck and shortened tail, compared to most other theropods. Its skull was unusually short and highly pneumatized (riddled with openings in the bone structure), ending in a stout, toothless beak. Perhaps the most distinctive feature of Citipati was its tall crest, superficially similar to that of a modern cassowary. The crest was relatively low in the type species, C. osmolskae, with a nearly vertical front margin grading into the beak. In contrast, the crest of one referred specimen which has not yet been assigned a specific name (provisionally labeled C. sp.) was taller, with a prominent notch in the front margin, creating a squared appearance.
  • In Tibetan Animist belief, Citipati are graveyard demons portrayed as dancing skeletons. Their name means "lord of the graveyard". The Citipati are two skeletons, one of a man and the other of a woman, represented with arms and legs interlaced, dancing the Tsam dance. They are considered to be masters of the cemetery. The Citipati are one of the seventy-five forms of Mahakala and are visible reminders of the impermanence of everything worldly. Their mouths are parted in a large grin, showing all their teeth. Each wears a long scarf. According to a Northern Buddhist legend, the Citipati were, in a former existence, two ascetics who were once lost in such deep meditation that they did not notice that a thief had cut off their heads and thrown them in the dust. Since that time they have been ferocious enemies of thieves, having vowed eternal vengeance. This legend is somewhat similar to that of Yama. In the cemetery, the Citipati are supposed to perform a skeleton ritual dance during which they blow the Tibetan long horns. In most monasteries the dance, symbolic of the cycle of life and death, is performed in the monastery cemetery once in summer and once in winter by monks wearing masks.