Cretaceous
Albertonykus
Albertonykus borealis
The catalogue presents Albertonykus as a omnivore member of Alvarezsauridae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 70 Ma. Its estimated range is 0.7 m in length and 0.34 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Alberta, Canada. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Albertonykus, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Longrich and Currie (2009).
The PBDB places it in Alvarezsauridae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Alvarezsauridae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Alvarezsauridae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range is the Maastrichtian.
The PBDB catalogues 1 occurrence, with material from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (1). Provenance: Canada.
The catalogue records the holotype as UALVP 52470 and the type locality as “Alberta, Canada”.
- UALVP 52470
- Alberta, Canada
The catalogue's reference measurements are 0.7 m in length and 0.34 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 0.7 m
- 0.34 kg
The record gathers 8 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 0.7 m
- Weight
- 0.34 kg
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 70 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 2009
- Described by
- Nicholas Longrich & Philip Currie
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Alvarezsauridae
- Genus
- Albertonykus
- Species
- A. borealis
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- UALVP 52470
- Type locality
- Alberta, Canada