Archaeornithomimus
Archaeornithomimus was a fast, ostrich-like dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous. It had a beak, long legs, and probably feathers. It could run quickly to escape predators or chase small prey.1
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Fun facts
Its neck bones had air spaces inside, like modern birds, which made its neck lighter.1
Scientists think it had feathers that looked like those of an ostrich.1
It lived alongside the giant dinosaur Gigantoraptor and the predator Alectrosaurus.1
No stress fractures were found in its foot bones, meaning it probably didn't run too hard or too often.1
Its third toe bone was not pinched at the top, so its foot was not built for extreme speed like some other ornithomimids.1
The first fossils were found by an expedition led by Roy Chapman Andrews in 1923.1
Most asked questions about Archaeornithomimus
?How big was Archaeornithomimus?
About 3.4 metres (11 feet) long and weighed over 71.5 kilograms (158 pounds).1
?What did Archaeornithomimus eat?
It was an omnivore with a horny beak, eating small mammals, plants, fruit, eggs, and even hatchlings of other dinosaurs.1
?Did Archaeornithomimus have feathers?
Yes, scientists think it had feathers that looked like those of an ostrich.1
?When did Archaeornithomimus live?
It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 96 million years ago.1
?Where was Archaeornithomimus found?
Its fossils were found in the Iren Dabasu Formation of Inner Mongolia, China.1
?Was Archaeornithomimus a dinosaur?
Yes, it was a theropod dinosaur, specifically an ornithomimosaurian.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Archaeornithomimus
- Named by
- Russell 19724
- Group
- Ostrich dinos
- Family / clade
- Ornithomimidae4
- Classification
- Theropoda > Ornithomimosauria4
- Age of the rocks
- 90 to 72 million years (Coniacian / Campanian)4
- Rock formations
- Iren Dabasu, Dabrazhin4
- Countries
- China, Kazakhstan4
- Fossil records
- 3 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- The first fossils were found in 1923 in Inner Mongolia by an American Museum of Natural History expedition. In 1933, Charles Gilmore named them Ornithomimus asiaticus. In 1972, Dale Russell gave them their own genus, Archaeornithomimus.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure whether Archaeornithomimus was a true ornithomimid or a more primitive ornithomimosaur. Some studies place it inside the family, others outside.1
Where the facts come from
- Archaeornithomimus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Archaeornithomimus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Archaeornithomimus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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