Open Paleo

Shanag

Turner et al., 2007 sha-nag

Named after the 'shanag', the black-hatted dancers who perform in the Buddhist Cham ceremonial dance, referring to the locality in Mongolia where it was found.

143.1–121.4 million years ago Berriasian–Barremian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Shanag is a genus of paravian theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of Mongolia. It may be a dromaeosaurid, but some researchers are skeptical of this classification. The type species is S. ashile.

Under dispute

Shanag is a small basal dromaeosaurid whose finer placement is unsettled. It is most often recovered between Microraptorinae and Eudromaeosauria (Turner and colleagues, 2012; Pei and colleagues, 2020), but within Microraptorinae by Longrich and Currie (2009) and Jasinski and colleagues (2020), and Agnolín and Novas (2013) suggested it may be a basal averaptoran closer to birds. It is placed at Dromaeosauridae incertae sedis pending resolution.

Diagnosis

  1. Lack of a promaxillary fenestra
  2. Presence of interalveolar pneumatic cavities

Species

Shanag ashile Turner et al., 2007

Type species

Named for the Ashile Formation, the former name for the geological layers in which the holotype was found, as used by Henry Fairfield Osborn.

Holotype
IGM 100/1119 , Paleontological Center, Mongolian Academy of Sciences
Material
Well-preserved right maxilla, dentary, and partial splenial
Horizon
Öösh Formation, Berriasian–Barremian, Early Cretaceous , 143.1–121.4 million years ago
Locality
Öösh, Övörkhangai, Mongolia

References

  1. Turner, A. H.; Hwang, S. H.; Norell, M. A. (2007). A Small Derived Theropod from Öösh, Early Cretaceous, Baykhangor Mongolia. American Museum Novitates 3557(1). American Museum of Natural History (BioOne sponsored). doi:10.1206/0003-0082(2007)3557[1:asdtfs]2.0.co;2 turner2007b
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate.

    jones2026c
  3. Turner, A. H.; Makovicky, P. J.; Norell, M. A. (2012). A Review of Dromaeosaurid Systematics and Paravian Phylogeny. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 371: 1-206. doi:10.1206/748.1

    Recovered Shanag among basal dromaeosaurids between Microraptorinae and Eudromaeosauria.

    turner2012a
  4. Agnolín, F. L.; Novas, F. E. (2013). Avian Ancestors. SpringerBriefs in Earth System Sciences. Springer Netherlands. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-5637-3

    Suggested Shanag may be a basal averaptoran closer to birds.

    agnolín2013a
  5. Pei, R.; Pittman, M.; Goloboff, P. A.; Dececchi, T. A.; Habib, M. B.; Kaye, T. G.; Larsson, H. C. E.; Norell, M. A.; Brusatte, S. L.; Xu, X. (2020). Potential for Powered Flight Neared by Most Close Avialan Relatives, but Few Crossed Its Thresholds. Current Biology 30(20): 4033-4046.e8. Elsevier BV. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2020.06.105

    Recovered Shanag as the sister of Microraptorinae plus Eudromaeosauria.

    pei2020a
  6. Longrich, N. R.; Currie, P. J. (2009). A microraptorine (Dinosauria-Dromaeosauridae) from the Late Cretaceous of North America. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106(13): 5002-5007. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. doi:10.1073/pnas.0811664106

    Recovered Shanag within Microraptorinae.

    longrich2009a
  7. Jasinski, S. E.; Sullivan, R. M.; Dodson, P. (2020). New Dromaeosaurid Dinosaur (Theropoda, Dromaeosauridae) from New Mexico and Biodiversity of Dromaeosaurids at the end of the Cretaceous. Scientific Reports 10(1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-61480-7

    Recovered Shanag in a microraptorine polytomy.

    jasinski2020a