Fauna
Species · GBIF taxon 4966300

Citipati osmolskae

Citipati osmolskae

Citipati osmolskae roamed the windswept sand dunes of Late Cretaceous Mongolia, sporting a high, rounded cranial crest and an edentulous beak reminiscent of modern cassowaries. Exceptional fossil finds preserve adults crouched directly over clutches of elongated eggs, their feathered arms spread wide in a brooding stance identical to nesting birds. These intimate paleontological discoveries provide definitive evidence that complex avian reproductive strategies arose long before modern avians appeared.

PrehistoricFossil
Citipati osmolskae reference
Licensed referenceJonathan Chen / CC BY-SA 4.0 · cc-by-sa
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & prey
  • Seeds and tough desert tubers
  • Small squamates and lizards
  • Prehistoric mollusks and invertebrates
Predators
  • Tarbosaurus bataar
  • Velociraptor mongoliensis
ThreatsCollapsing dunes, flash floods, predatory theropods, and the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction
HabitatsArid sand dunes, scrub plains, and seasonal streams
Life span15–25 years (estimated)
Classification
  1. FamilyOviraptoridae
  2. SpeciesCitipati osmolskae
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Extinct prehistoric species; fossil specimens are safe to observe in museum collections.
Responsible observation
  • Museum observation: Study articulated casts in natural history museums to examine brooding posture and crest shape.
  • Fossil preservation: Never touch exposed original fossil material without professional paleontological guidance.
Related species
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