Fun Shanag Facts For Kids

Shanag is theropod genus of the family Dromaeosauridae from the Early Cretaceous period in Mongolia. Alan Turner, Mark Norell, and Sunny hai-Ching Hwang described and named these species in 2007.

Shanag ashile is the type species of Shanag. The generic term, Shanag, was given in tribute to the black-hatted dancers in the Buddhist Cham dance. The specific term refers to the old layers in the Ashile formation where Shanag was found and used by Henry Fairfield Osborn.

The Shanag holotype that was found in Öösh formation in 1999 is named IGM 100/1119 with uncertain stratification, perhaps from the Beriassian-Barremian. This dinosaur was a small predator dinosaur.

Shanag was assigned to the Dromaeosauridae family by Turner et al. Dromaeosauridae has two Greek elements, dromeus means 'runner' and sauros means 'lizard.' These species are referred to as 'raptors' informally, a name that became famous due to the movie Jurassic Park.

It is speculated that these bird-like species might have bird-like behavior. The weight of this species is 11 lb (5 kg).

If you enjoy reading these facts about the Shanag ashile, then you may also check out some fun facts about the Sinornithoides and Velocisaurus.

Shanag Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Shanag'?

The pronunciation of Shanag is 'sha-nag.'

What type of dinosaur was a Shanag?

Shanag ashile (Turner et al., Norell, ad Hwang) is theropod genus of the family Dromaeosauridae.

In which geological period did the Shanag roam the earth?

The geological period of Shanag ashile (Turner et al., Norell, ad Hwang) is the Early Cretaceous period of Mongolia.

When did Shanag become extinct?

Shanag ashile (Turner et al., Norell, ad Hwang) of the Early Cretaceous (Mongolia) became extinct probably around 66 million years ago when almost all the dinosaurs were killed.

Where did Shanag live?

The habitat range of Shanag ashile (Turner et al., Norell, ad Hwang) was around Mongolia in places like Mongolia.

What was the Shanag's habitat?

The range of habitat of the Shanag ashile (Turner et al., Norell, ad Hwang) was probably in terrestrial regions.

Who did Shanag live with?

Shanag ashile (Turner et al.) might have lived in groups like all the other dinosaur species.

How long did Shanag live?

The exact lifespan or maximum age of the Shanag ashile (Turner et al.) is not known.

How did they reproduce?

 The reproduction process of Shanag ashile (Turner et al.) was oviparous like all the other dinosaur species. However, there is not much data on the breeding process of this dinosaur.

Shanag Fun Facts

What did Shanag look like?

Shanag ashile (Turner et al.) from the Early Cretaceous and discovered in the Öösh Formation was a small predator dinosaur just about 59 in (1.5 m) in length. This dinosaur is a member of feathered dinosaurs. It is a possibility that this theropod dinosaur had colorful plumage.

The information of this dinosaur was derived from the jaw fragments. There were complete dentary and maxilla articulation. The dentary is dorso-ventrally shallow and narrow. Also, compared to the maxillary teeth, the dentary teeth are smaller and even more closely packed.

We've been unable to source an image of a Shanag and have used an image of a Luanchuanraptor instead. If you are able to provide us with a royalty-free image of a Shanag, we would be happy to credit you. Please contact us at hello@kidadl.com.

How many bones did a Shanag have?

The number of bones in the skeleton of Shanag ashile (Turner et al.) is not known.

How did they communicate?

Shanag (black-hatted dancers, Buddhist Cham dance) probably communicated through calls and songs like all the other dinosaur species.

How big was Shanag?

The length range of these theropod dinosaurs found in the Öösh Formation is 59 in (1.5 m). The family Dromaeosauridae dinosaur species range from 2.3-20 ft (0.7-6 m) in length. Spinosaurus dinosaur species are almost 50 times the length of these theropods. There is no data on the Shanag height range.

How fast could a Shanag move?

There is no data regarding the speed of these theropod dinosaurs. They are quite fast and active.

How much did a Shanag weigh?

Shanag weight range is about 11 lb (5 kg). The relative dinosaur, Microraptria is around 2.2 lb (1 kg) in weight.

What were the male and female names of the species?

There are no specific names given to these male and female theropod dinosaurs yet.

What would you call a baby Shanag?

There is no specific name given to baby theropod dinosaurs. They are usually referred to as juveniles.

What did they eat?

The diet of these theropod dinosaurs was a carnivore. The diet of these dinosaurs might have included small creatures like mammals, insects, and other reptiles.

Although, the information on the diet of these dinosaur species is not very clear. The species of this family were similar to the extant Accitripids in killing their prey. They would leap onto the prey, then would it under their body weight, and later uses their claws to grip the prey.

How aggressive were they?

There is no record of how aggressive this dinosaur was.

Did you know...

Shanag genus shows a mixture of basal avialan, troodontid, and dromaeosaurid.

Zhenyualong (Zhenyuann's dragon) genus of the same family as Shanag is around 44 lb (20 kg) in weight.

The meaning of the name of the relative of Shanag, Pyroraptor means 'fire thief.' The name Pamparaptor is a tribute to the Pampas Indian people who lived in central Argentina. Variraptor means 'Var thrif.'

The bird-like features of these dinosaurs have led few scientists to argue that these species are better off classified as birds. Microraptoria was found to be the most primitive or basal dromaeosaurid by Hwang et al.

in 2002. Barnum Brown and William Diller Matthew have credited authorship of Dromaeosauridae, as they came up with the subfamily Dromaeosaurinae in 1922. Dromaeosauridae's most poorly supported subfamily is Unenlagiinae.

The type species of this Dromaeosauridae family is Dromaeosaurus ('swift-running lizard') Albertensis, which is a genus from the Late Cretaceous period and was described in 1922. The closest relative of this species is Dakotaraptor. The specific term 'Albertensis' is a reference to Alberta.

There are seven more species in the Dromaeosaurus genus. The length of this species is about 6 ft 7in (2 m) and its weight is around 33 lb (15 kg).

John H. Ostrom recognized in 1969 that the Dromaeosaurus genus shared a lot of characteristics with Velociraptor and also with Deinonychus. It was suggested by Therrien el at. that the bite of the Dromaeosaurus was almost three times more powerful than Velociraptor.

Theropoda consists of two Greek elements is a combination of 'wild beast' and 'foot.' Theropods were originally carnivores, however, they became insectivores, piscivores, omnivores, and herbivores.

The early and most basal dinosaurs of Theropoda were the carnivore Eodromaeus and Herrerasaurids (Argentina). The earliest and basal unambiguous Theropods are the Coelophysoidea. Also, the largest extant species of this group are common ostriches, which can reach up to a size of 9 ft (2.74 m).

Why are they called Shanag?

These dinosaurs are named Shanag as a tribute to the traditional black-hatted dancers in the Buddhist Cham dance.

Who discovered Shanag?

IGM 100/1119, a Shanag holotype of the Early Cretaceous period was discovered in Öösh Formation by Henry Fairfield Osborn. The holotype was named and described by Alan Turner, Mark Norell, and Sunny hai-Ching Hwang.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Altispinax facts and Edmarka facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Shanag coloring pages.

Main image by FunkMonk (Michael B. H.) .