Dinosaurs A to Z
Alvarezsauridae

Albertonykus

"Alberta claw"

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Albertonykus 1.1 m (3.6 ft) long
as long as 2 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Albertonykus
Length
1.1 m (3.6 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (68.5 Mya)
Place
North America · United States · Canada · Alberta, Canada
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Alvarezsauridae
Albertonykus reconstruction by Karkemish
Reconstruction · Karkemish (CC-BY)

Albertonykus (meaning “Alberta claw”) is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Maastrichtian-age (Upper Cretaceous) rocks of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada. It is known from forelimb and hindlimb remains from multiple individuals. All but two of the specimens come from a bonebed dominated by Albertosaurus, located at the top of Unit 4 of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, dating to ~68.5 million years ago.

Albertonykus is interpreted as having fed on wood-nesting termites because the forelimbs appear specialized for digging but are too short for burrowing. Albertonykus is the earliest known North American alvarezsaurid. Isolated bones of alvarezsaurids are known from late Maastrichtian rocks in Montana and Wyoming (USA). The bones now belonged to a new genus, Trierarchuncus.

What we know

  • Named by Longrich & Currie, 2009.
  • Body length estimated at about 1.1 m.
  • Fossils found in North America and United States.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Albertonykus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.