Erlikosaurus

Erlikosaurus is a genus of therizinosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Asia. The type species, Erlikosaurus andrewsi, was named by Evgeny N. Maleev in 1954, based on fossils recovered from the Bayan Shireh Formation in Mongolia. The name Erlikosaurus combines Erlik, a deity in Mongolian folklore, with the standard -saurus suffix.

Fossils indicate a medium-sized, bipedal dinosaur with a relatively long neck, a broad pelvis, and proportionally long forelimbs ending in large, curved claws. The skull is relatively short with a beak-like mouth and reduced teeth, a pattern typical of therizinosaurs. As with other members of its group, Erlikosaurus shows adaptations suggesting a shift away from predation toward herbivory or omnivory, with forelimbs well suited for grasping vegetation and a dental arrangement compatible with plant matter.

Erlikosaurus inhabited what was likely a warm, forested floodplain environment in Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous, a setting that would have supported a variety of vegetation-based resources. It would have coexisted with other dinosaurs such as hadrosaurs and tyrannosaurids, among others.

Taxonomy and significance: Erlikosaurus is placed in Therizinosauridae, a group of theropods that evolved distinctive forelimbs and dentition associated with herbivory. As one of the better-known therizinosaurs from Asia, Erlikosaurus contributes to understanding the diversity and evolutionary history of this unusual clade within Theropoda.