Dinosaurs A to Z
Alvarezsauridae

Alvarezsaurus alvuhrez-SORRUHS

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Alvarezsaurus 1.4 m (4.6 ft) long
as long as 2 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Alvarezsaurus
Length
1.4 m (4.6 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (86–83 Mya)
Place
Argentina · Colorado, USA
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Alvarezsauridae
Alvarezsaurus reconstruction by User:Karkemish
Reconstruction · User:Karkemish (CC-BY)

Alvarezsaurus (; “Don Gregorio Alvarez’s lizard”) is a genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous, living in Argentina approximately 86 - 83 million years ago. It was a small dinosaur, measuring 1 – 1.4 m long and weighing approximately 3 kg. It was found in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation and was named by paleontologist José Bonaparte in 1991 after the historian Don Gregorio Alvarez. The type species is A. calvoi.

What we know

  • Named by Bonaparte, 1991.
  • Body length estimated at about 1.4 m.
  • Fossils found in Argentina and Colorado, USA.

What we guess

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