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sharp-clawed runner · Disputed
Nemegtonykus
Nemegtonykus citus
Nemegtonykus ate 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
- 2019 · Lee, S.; Park, J. Y.; Lee, Y. N.; Kim, S. H.; Lü, J.; Barsbold, R.; Tsogtbaatar, K.
- Hip height
- Not established
- Length
- 1 m · 3 ft
- Weight
- 4 kg · 9 lb
- Found in
- Mongolia · Nemegt
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Alvarezsauridae
The story in short
Nemegtonykus was formally named in 2019 by S. Lee and colleagues. The name means “nemegt claw.”
It lived in the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian), roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago. Finds come from Mongolia, including the Nemegt Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Nemegtonykus at a length near 1 m and a body mass around 4 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
Albertonykus
Albertonykus borealis
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
Alvarezsaurus
Alvarezsaurus calvoi
Late Cretaceous (Santonian) · roughly 85.7 to 83.6 million years ago