Gobivenator

Gobivenator ("Gobi [Desert] hunter" ) is a troodontid theropod dinosaur from the Cretaceous period of Mongolia.

Description
Gobivenator measures about 1.6 meters in length from head to tail. Its skull is very well preserved, and shows reduced contact between palate bones - a feature similar to that of some modern birds.

Classification
By expanding upon a cladogram developed in 2011, it was determined that Gobivenator was most closely related to troodontids such as Saurornithoides, Zanzabar, and Troodon.

Discovery
A well-preserved and nearly complete skeleton of Gobivenator was found in the Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia. It was described in 2014 as Gobivenator mongoliensis, after the desert and country in which it was found.