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sharp-clawed runner
Bonapartenykus
Say it like this: “bo-nuh-par-toh-ni-kuss”
Bonapartenykus ultimus
Bonapartenykus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Argentina.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
- Named in
- 2012 · Agnolín, F. L.; Powell, J. E.; Novas, F. E.; Kundrát, M.
- Hip height
- 1 m · 3 ft
- Length
- 2.5–3.3 m · 8–11 ft
- Weight
- 43–72 kg · 95–159 lb
- Found in
- Argentina · Allen
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Patagonykinae
The story in short
Bonapartenykus was formally named in 2012 by F. L. Agnolín and colleagues. The name means “josé F. Bonaparte.”
Fossils referred to Bonapartenykus date to the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from Argentina, including the Allen Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Bonapartenykus at a length near 2.5–3.3 m, hips about 1 m high, and a body mass around 43–72 kg.
On the family tree it sits in Patagonykinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.