AGE:
Late Cretaceous (Campanian), Djadokhta Formation, 75 million years ago

SIZE:
Up to 2 metres long

MEANING OF NAME: 'Genius'

'PRONUNCIATION:
In-GEE-knee-a

CLASSIFICATION:
THEROPODA: Oviraptorosauria; Oviraptoridae

A primitive small theropod that was derived from carnivorous theropods.

Out of this stock arose many dinosaurs, which evidently were not carnivorous. On the roof of the mouth of Ingenia were prominent bumps of bone against which it would have been possible for the animal to have crushed shells, eggs or even nuts and fruits against its toothless mandible. Ingenia, in fact, has no teeth at all.

The skull of Ingenia was very light weight and the bones quite thin, just like those in living birds. It had a parrot-like beak and a crest along the top of the nasal area.

Ingenia and all other oviraptorosaurs ran on hind legs like emus and ostriches but had fully functional hands with three long fingers ending in sharply curved claws that could easily have grasped items like eggs and fruits.

Oviraptorosaurs were theropod dinosaurs but they shared many characteristics with birds-for example, they had a wishbone (two clavicles, or collarbones, that fused to make one structure).