Tsaagan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids TsaaganTemporal range: Upper Cretaceous
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Tsaagan
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| Tsaagan mangas |
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Tsaagan (say "Sah-ah-gan") means "white." It was a type of dinosaur that lived a long, long time ago. This dinosaur was a close relative of the famous Velociraptor. Both Tsaagan and Velociraptor belong to a group of dinosaurs called Dromaeosauridae.
Tsaagan lived in Asia about 75 million years ago. This was during the late Cretaceous period. Its fossils were found in a place called the Djadokhta Formation in Mongolia.
About Tsaagan
Tsaagan was a meat-eating dinosaur. It was part of the theropod group, which includes many well-known predators like Tyrannosaurus rex. Dromaeosaurids, like Tsaagan, were known for their sharp claws and quick movements. They were likely very agile hunters.
Discovery and Classification
When the first Tsaagan fossil was found, scientists thought it might be a new species of Velociraptor. But in 1998, they used a special CAT-scan machine to look closely at the bones. This scan helped them see tiny details inside the fossil.
After studying the scan, scientists realized it was not a Velociraptor. Instead, it was a completely new type of dinosaur, a new genus. In 2010, more research showed that Tsaagan was very closely related to another dinosaur called Linheraptor. Some scientists even think they might be part of the same genus. This means they are almost like cousins in the dinosaur family tree!
See also
In Spanish: Tsaagan mangas para niños
