Shishugounykus inexpectus

"Shishugou claw"

You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Shishugounykus 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Late Jurassic (160.2 Mya)
Place
China
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Dinosauria The clade containing all dinosaurs, terrestrial archosaurs with upright limbs.

Shishugounykus (meaning “Shishugou claw”) is a genus of basal alvarezsaurian dinosaur from the Shishugou Formation of Xinjiang, China. The type and only species is Shishugounykus inexpectus. The specific name refers to the unexpected discovery of another species of alvarezsaur from the Shishugou Formation (other alvarezsaurs from this formation include Haplocheirus and possibly Aorun). Its affinities to alvarezsaurs have subsequently been questioned.

What we know

  • Named by Qin et al., 2019.
  • Fossils found in China.

What we guess

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