Albinykus
"Albin claw"
- Length
- 5 m (16.4 ft)
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (85.8–84.9 Mya)
- Place
- Mongolia
- Food
- Carnivore
- Clade
- Alvarezsauridae
Albinykus (meaning “Albin claw”, after a term used by Mongolian shamans to describe light phenomena in the Gobi Desert) is a genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur whose fossils have been found in the Late Cretaceous-aged (Santonian) Javkhlant Formation in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. The type species, A. baatar, was named by Sterling J. Nesbitt, Julia A. Clarke, Alan H. Turner and Mark A. Norell in 2011.
Estimated at under 1 kg in weight, Albinykus was one of the smallest alvarezsaurs and among the smallest non avian dinosaurs. The body size of alvarezsaurs decreased throughout their evolutionary history, and Albinykus represents a particularly derived form.
What we know
- Named by Nesbitt et al., 2011.
- Fossils found in Mongolia.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Albinykus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.