Fossils of the Gobi Desert

Fossils in the Gobi desert of Mongolia were first discovered in the 1920's by American Museum of Natural History scientists that were looking for proof that Central Asia was the cradle of human evolution, but instead inadvertently discovered the extensive dinosaur fossil deposits. The expeditions ended in the late 1920's because of political unrest and resumed in 1990. The vast area has been labeled a fossil Vallhalla, due to the stunning dinosaur discoveries. In particular, the nests and eggs that were found support new ideas about how dinosaurs lived and nurtured their young. The fossils of the Gobi have also provided critical supportive information linking dinosaurs and their direct descendants, the birds. They have also yielded vast data regarding primate and human lineage owing to discoveries of a large diversity of Cretaceous placental mammals, the Eutheria; these diminutive and nocturnal creatures would mainly survive the forthcoming extinction of the dinosaurs and their ancestors would radiate to modern times.

Oviraptors come exclusively from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. Oviraptor was discovered by Roy Chapman Andrews during a 1923 expedition near a nest of what paleontologists first thought were Protoceratops. However, an Oviraptor found crouched on a nest in 1993 supports the theory that Oviraptor was a dutiful parent and probably not deserving of its name, which means "egg stealer".

Reptiles

	Gilmoreteius sp. Order squamata Suborder Lacertilia Family Gilmoreteiidae Upper Cretaceous Bayan Mandahu