Deviation Actions
Description
An extremely speculative commissioned reconstruction of the putative Bulgarian ornithomimosaur, a humeral bone fragment of which is described by Mateus et al. (2010)*. Virtually nothing is known about this animal, besides that it is theropod of probably ornithomimosaurian affinities which lived during (probably) the Early Maastricthian on landmass build of continental types of rocks. All this means that the life appearance reconstruction was based on general interpretation of its possible phylogenetic position and environment based on the regional geology, and correlations with the well known Romanian dinosaurian fauna. What an island dwelling ornithomimosaur looked like? Well, in all honesty, I am not sure at all! I looked at another island dwelling theropod that lived in close proximity and around the same time, the famous Balaur bondoc (yes, it is not as close phylogenetically to ornithomimosaurs as one can hope for drawing adequate analogues, but it is still something), for possible ideas of what the general body proportions may have been. The possible phylogenetic position of the Bulgarian dinosaur inside Ornithomimosauria was also considered (pure speculation), as well as the general “primitiveness” of the Romanian fauna of dwarf dinosaurs. Garudimimus and Beishanlong were somewhat of a starting point for some the anatomy details. The resulting speculative depiction is of somewhat basal ornithomimosaur (thus the hallux) with generally stocky appearance – short legs, short and more barrel shaped body in comparison to derived ornithomimosaurs, as well as proportionally large arms. The head is also proportionally bigger compared to that of ornithomimids, while the neck is fairly standard. The presence of feathers is based on the evidence for feathers in the derived ornithomimosaur Ornithomimus (Zelenitsky et al., 2012)** and on the general predictions about feathery integument in coelurosaurian theropods by the EPB method (Extant Phylogenetic Bracketing). Feathery covering is inspired by ratities.
The image is commissioned as part of the paleontology section of the currently under construction Science Center for kids “Muzeiko” ( www.facebook.com/muzeikobulgar… ; www.dnevnik.bg/detski_dnevnik/… ; I am sorry but there is still no official website in English, or even in Bulgarian for that matter), that will open in Sofia (Bulgaria), in summer 2015. The painting will appear on informative poster which will provide kids with information on what this Bulgarian dinosaur probably is, when it lived, as well as where the specimen was found.
Medium: Acrylics on cardboard
Done: February 2014
This image is photo taken by professional photographer , as part of the digitizing process, which was later digitally edited by me on Photoshop CS2. The image that will appear on the poster will be edited and prepared for print by the folks at POSTSTUDIO, Sofia (Bulgaria) poststudio.bg/prototype/index.… .
Disclaimer: The artwork is copyrighted by “Muzeiko” and it is shared here with their permission. All rights reserved by “Muzeiko”. The image cannot be reproduced and/or transmitted in any form without written permission from copyright holder.
*Mateus, O., G. J. Dyke, N. Motchurova-Dekova, G. D. Kamenov, P. Ivanov. 2010. The first record of a dinosaur from Bulgaria.- Lethaia, 43, 1, 88-94.
