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sharp-clawed runner
Nanuqsaurus
Say it like this: “na-nook-SOR-us”
Nanuqsaurus hoglundi
Nanuqsaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in the United States.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
- Named in
- 2014 · Fiorillo, A. R.; Tykoski, R. S.
- Hip height
- Not established
- Length
- 5–9 m · 16–30 ft
- Weight
- Not established
- Found in
- the United States · Prince Creek
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Tyrannosaurinae
The story in short
Nanuqsaurus was formally named in 2014 by A. R. Fiorillo and R. S. Tykoski. The name means “polar bear lizard.”
Fossils referred to Nanuqsaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from the United States, including the Prince Creek Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Nanuqsaurus at a length near 5–9 m.
On the family tree it sits in Tyrannosaurinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.