Nothronychus

Say it like this: “noh-THRON-i-kus”

Nothronychus mckinleyi

Nothronychus ate plants and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in the United States.

Quiz me on Nothronychus

When: Late Cretaceous (Turonian) · roughly 93.9 to 89.8 million years ago
Named in: 2001 · Kirkland, J. I.; Wolfe, D. G.
Hip height: 1.2 m · 4 ft
Length: 4.2–5.3 m · 14–17 ft
Weight: 0.8–1.2 tonnes
Found in: the United States · Moreno Hill
Food and walking: Herbivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Therizinosauridae

The story in short

In 2001, J. I. Kirkland and D. G. Wolfe published the name Nothronychus.

Fossils referred to Nothronychus date to the Late Cretaceous (Turonian), roughly 93.9 to 89.8 million years ago. Finds come from the United States, including the Moreno Hill Formation. It was a herbivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Nothronychus at a length near 4.2–5.3 m, hips about 1.2 m high, and a body mass around 0.8–1.2 tonnes.

On the family tree it sits in Therizinosauridae, among the theropod dinosaurs.

This entry is the whole genus. The type species is Nothronychus mckinleyi. Other named species include Nothronychus graffami.

Other species with this name

Nothronychus mckinleyi
Nothronychus graffami

Close relatives

Duonychus

Duonychus tsogtbaatari

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Santonian) · roughly 100.5 to 83.6 million years ago

Erlikosaurus

Erlikosaurus andrewsi

Late Cretaceous (Turonian · Coniacian · Santonian) · roughly 93.9 to 83.6 million years ago

Nanshiungosaurus

Nanshiungosaurus brevispinus

Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago