Fenglu Han

China University of Geosciences · Department of Paleontology

Bone histology has provided valuable information on the life history of dinosaurs, and the presence of growth lines provides useful information for age estimation, growth variation, and the reconstruction of paleobehavior. Here, we present new data recovered from five individuals of the non-iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur Jeholosaurus shangyuanen...

The gross dental morphology of the holotype of the theropod Sinraptor dongi from the Jurassic Shishugou Formation of China is comprehensively described. We highlight a combination of dental features that appear to be restricted to Sinraptor: i) crowns with denticulated mesial and distal carinae extending from the root, and an irregular surface text...

Titanosauriform sauropod dinosaurs were once considered rare in the Upper Cretaceous of Asia, but a number of titanosauriforms from this stratigraphic interval have been discovered in China in recent years. In fact, all adequately known Cretaceous Asian sauropods are titanosauriforms, but only a few have been well studied, lending significance to a...

Graphical Abstract Highlights d Two new alvarezsaurian dinosaurs are described from Northwest China d They are intermediate between Late Jurassic and Late Cretaceous alvarezsaurians d They showcase the evolution of highly specialized alvarezsaurian forelimb d Specialized alvarezsaurian forelimb morphology evolved slowly, in a mosaic fashion In Brie...

Ceratopsia includes some of the best-known ornithischian dinosaurs. Many species are erected based on cranial elements alone, and the postcranial skeletons are either missing or undescribed in many taxa. Here we provide the first detailed postcranial description of Yinlong downsi based on the holotype and eight other well-preserved skeletons. Yinlo...

The partial skeleton of a leptoceratopsid dinosaur, Ischioceratops zhuchengensis gen. et sp. nov., was excavated from the bone-beds of the Upper Cretaceous Wangshi Group of Zhucheng, Shandong Province, China. This fossil represents the second leptoceratopsid dinosaur specimen recovered from the Kugou locality, a highly productive site in Zhucheng....

Character list for analysis of ornithischian phylogenetic relationships. Table A. Codings for S1 phylogenetic analysis, in TNT format. (DOC)

Character list for analysis of ceratopsian phylogenetic relationships. Table A. Codings for S3 phylogenetic analysis, in TNT format (DOC)

Ceratopsia is one of the best studied herbivorous ornithischian clades, but the early evolution of Ceratopsia, including the placement of Psittacosaurus, is still controversial and unclear. Here, we report a second basal ceratopsian, Hualianceratops wucaiwanensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Upper Jurassic (Oxfordian) Shishugou Formation of the Jungg...

The homology of the 'semilunate' carpal, an important structure linking non-avian and avian dinosaurs, has been controversial. Here we describe the morphology of some theropod wrists, demonstrating that the 'semilunate' carpal is not formed by the same carpal elements in all theropods possessing this feature and that the involvement of the lateralm...

A new ankylosaurid, Chuanqilong chaoyangensis gen. et sp. nov., is described here based on a nearly complete skeleton from the Lower Cretaceous Jiufotang Formation of Baishizui Village, Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province, China. Chuanqilong chaoyangensis can be diagnosed on the basis of two autapomorphies (glenoid fossa for quadrate at same level as...

Background Southwestern Henan Province in central China contains many down-faulted basins, including the Xixia Basin where the Upper Cretaceous continental sediments are well exposed. The Majiacun Formation is a major dinosaur-bearing stratigraphic unit that occurs in this basin. Methodology/Principal Findings A new basal hadrosauroid dinosaur, Zh...

The alvarezsauroid Linhenykus monodactylus from the Upper Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China is the first known monodactyl non-avian dinosaur, providing important information on the complex patterns of manual evolution seen in alvarezsauroids. Here we provide a detailed description of the osteology of this taxon. Linhenykus shows a number of featu...

Comment on “Embryological evidence identifies wing digits in birds as digits 1, 2, and 3.”

The Troodontidae represents one of the most bird-like theropod groups and plays an important role in our understanding of avian origins. Although troodontids have been known for over 150 years, few known derived troodontid specimens preserve significant portions of both the forelimb and the hindlimb. Here, we report a new troodontid taxon, Linheven...

Archaeopteryx is widely accepted as being the most basal bird, and accordingly it is regarded as central to understanding avialan origins; however, recent discoveries of derived maniraptorans have weakened the avialan status of Archaeopteryx. Here we report a new Archaeopteryx-like theropod from China. This find further demonstrates that many featu...

Sixteen isolated theropod teeth were discovered in two areas in the upper Middle–lower Upper Jurassic Shishugou Formation of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, northwest China. This sample can be divided on the basis of qualitative features and simple quantitative metrics into seven tooth morphotypes, each of which probably represents a distinc...

Digital reduction is a striking evolutionary phenomenon that is clearly exemplified in theropod dinosaurs by the functionally didactyl manus of tyrannosaurids, the flight-adapted manus of birds (Aves), and the tridactyl but digit II-dominated manus of alvarezsauroids. The enlargement of manual digit II in alvarezsauroids and the concurrent reductio...

A new alvarezsaurid theropod, Xixianykus zhangi gen. et sp. nov., is described based on a partial postcranial skeleton collected from the Upper Cretaceous Majiacun Formation of Xixia County, Henan Province. The new taxon can be diagnosed by the following autapomorphies: sacral rib-transverse process complexes and zygapophyses fused to form separate...

Big Finger Alvarezsauroidea are an enigmatic group of theropods presumed to be closely related to birds, though most specimens are younger than Archaeopteryx . Choiniere et al. (p. 571 ; see news story by Stone) now describe a more complete early specimen, dating to about 160 million years ago, which supports the conclusion that Alvarezsauroidea ar...

Recent fossil discoveries have substantially reduced the morphological gap between non-avian and avian dinosaurs, yet avians including Archaeopteryx differ from non-avian theropods in their limb proportions. In particular, avians have proportionally longer and more robust forelimbs that are capable of supporting a large aerodynamic surface. Here we...