Mononykus
Mononykus olecranus
Mononykus ( mə-NON-ik-əs, sometimes MON-oh-NY-kəs; meaning "one claw") is a genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia, specifically the Nemegt Formation. Mononykus was a very small theropod, estimated around 1 to 1.2 metres (3.3 to 3.9 ft) in length with a weight of 3.5 kilograms (7.7 lb). As in Shuvuuia, Mononykus likely developed a shaggy feathering. It was lightly built with long, thin legs and highly reduced and specialized forelimbs that were likely used for foraging termite mounds or other insect colonies.
- Family
- Mononykidae
- Order
- Saurischia
- Period
- Cretaceous (83.6–72.2 Ma)
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Length
- 1.0–1.2 m
- Weight
- 2–4 kg
- Type locality
- Nemegt Formation, Mongolia
- Holotype
- GIN 107/6
- PBDB
- txn:53210