Abdarainurus is a type of dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 85 to 72 million years ago.
This dinosaur was discovered in Mongolia, specifically in a place called the Alagteeg Formation. It is classified as a titanosaur, which is a group of large, long-necked dinosaurs.
The name Abdarainurus means “Abdrant Nuru tail” because it was found in the Abdrant Nuru area. The only known species of this dinosaur is called Abdarainurus barsboldi, named in 2020.
Not much of Abdarainurus has been found. Scientists have only discovered eight vertebrae from its tail and a few other bones.
The first discoveries were made during a paleontological expedition in 1970, led by scientists from both the Soviet Union and Mongolia. The fossils were not studied until much later, around the year 2000, when a paleontologist suggested they might belong to a new type of dinosaur.
During its time, Abdarainurus shared its habitat with other creatures like ankylosaurs, which were armored dinosaurs, as well as different types of turtles.
Regarding its classification, researchers used different methods to understand how Abdarainurus fits into the family of dinosaurs. Some studies suggest that it could be part of a group of titanosaurs, possibly related to other dinosaurs like Andesaurus and Huabeisaurus.
Scientists continue to study and analyze dinosaur fossils to uncover more about these fascinating creatures from our planet’s past!