FINE & COMPLETE DINOSAUR SKELETON
Psittacosaurus sp.
Cretaceous
Central Asia
This specimen is a virtually complete, remarkably well-preserved, and fully articulated skeleton of a small herbivorous Psittacosaurus of the early Cretaceous. The skeleton is free from distortion, intact and beautifully presented. Superbly prepared, it is crouches forward, the distinctive, parrot-beaked skull raised and turned. It was the most primitive member of the Ceratopsia, or horned dinosaurs, such as the Triceratops and Protoceratops, and whilst it lacked the famous frill of its relatives, they shared the same hook-like jaw or beak. These distinctive jaws worked like scissors, grabbing and slicing leaves to shreds. They did not have the heavy duty grinding teeth of the later ceratopsians, however, and digested their food with the aid of gastroliths (gizzard stones). With ten separate species to its credit, Psittacosaurus is the most species-rich of all the dinosaur genera (at one time there were thought to be almost 20 different species), and their bones have been widely collected. Their delicacy often mitigates against condition, but this is a first-class example, with excellent three-dimensionality, full dentition, fine bone texture, and an attractively mottled gray patina throughout. It measures 39 inches long overall on a discrete brass armature over an oak base.