The Osteology of Haya griva (Dinosauria: Ornithischia) from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Haya griva is an early-diverging neornithischian (“hypsilophodontid”) dinosaur known from several well-preserved skulls and articulated postcranial skeletons, in addition to dozens of partial or isolated finds from the Upper Cretaceous Khugenetslavkant and Zos Canyon localities (Javkhlant Formation and equivalent beds) in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. Collectively, nearly the entire skeletal anatomy of Haya is known, including partial growth series of skulls and femora. Detailed description and comparisons with other ornithischians, including novel anatomical information about the palate and braincase gleaned through high-resolution x-ray microcomputed tomography, reveals a wealth of osteological data for understanding the growth and relationships of this key taxon. Though the Haya specimens span a wide size range, bone histology reveals that all are likely perinatal to subadult individuals, with specimens of intermediate age the most common, and skeletally mature specimens absent. Phylogenetic analyses place Haya as one of the few Asian members of Thescelosauridae, an important noncerapodan neornithischian group of the Late Cretaceous.