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sharp-clawed runner
Albertonykus
Say it like this: “al-BUHR-toh-NYE-kuss”
Albertonykus borealis
Albertonykus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Canada.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
- Named in
- 2009 · Longrich, N. R.; Currie, P. J.
- Hip height
- 0.3 m · 1 ft
- Length
- 1.1 m · 4 ft
- Weight
- 5 kg · 11 lb
- Found in
- Canada · Horseshoe Canyon
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Alvarezsauridae
The story in short
The genus Albertonykus dates to 2009, the year N. R. Longrich and P. J. Currie described it. The name means “alberta claw.”
It lived in the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from Canada, including the Horseshoe Canyon Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Albertonykus at a length near 1.1 m, hips about 0.3 m high, and a body mass around 5 kg.
On the family tree it sits in Alvarezsauridae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Achillesaurus
Achillesaurus manazzonei
Late Cretaceous (Santonian) · roughly 85.7 to 83.6 million years ago
Alvarezsaurus
Alvarezsaurus calvoi
Late Cretaceous (Santonian) · roughly 85.7 to 83.6 million years ago
Heptasteornis
Heptasteornis andrewsi
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago