Dinosaurs A to Z
Alvarezsauridae

Parvicursor

"small runner"

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Parvicursor 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Parvicursor
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (72 Mya)
Place
Mongolia
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Alvarezsauridae

Parvicursor (meaning “small runner”) is a genus of very small alvarezsaurid maniraptoran dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period of Mongolia. It had long, slender legs adapted for fast running.

What we know

  • Named by Karhu & Rautian, 1996.
  • Fossils found in Mongolia.

What we guess

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