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sharp-clawed runner
Elmisaurus
Say it like this: “EL-mi-SAWR-us”
Elmisaurus rarus
Elmisaurus ate plants and meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Mongolia.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
- Named in
- 1981 · Osmólska, H.
- Hip height
- 0.7 m · 2 ft
- Length
- 1.7 m · 6 ft
- Weight
- 20 kg · 44 lb
- Found in
- Mongolia · Nemegt
- Food and walking
- Omnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Caenagnathidae
The story in short
Elmisaurus was formally named in 1981 by H. Osmólska.
Fossils referred to Elmisaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from Mongolia, including the Nemegt Formation. It was an omnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Elmisaurus at a length near 1.7 m, hips about 0.7 m high, and a body mass around 20 kg.
On the family tree it sits in Caenagnathidae, among the theropod dinosaurs.