Achillesaurus
Achillesaurus was a small, feathered dinosaur that lived in South America. It was an alvarezsaur, a type of theropod with tiny arms and a bird-like skull. This dinosaur probably ate insects and other small animals.12
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Fun facts
Achillesaurus is named after the Greek hero Achilles, because its ankle bones were fused together like Achilles' famous tendon.2
It lived about 85 to 83 million years ago during the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.1
Achillesaurus was a relatively large alvarezsaurid, bigger than its close relative Alvarezsaurus.2
Its fossils were found in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation in Argentina, which was a dry, sandy environment.52
Unlike some Asian alvarezsaurids, Achillesaurus did not have a highly reduced fibula or a special foot structure called arctometatarsalian.2
Scientists are not sure exactly where Achillesaurus fits in the alvarezsaur family tree, because it shares features with both South American and Asian species.2
Most asked questions about Achillesaurus
?What did Achillesaurus eat?
Achillesaurus was an insectivore, meaning it ate insects and other small animals. Its bird-like skull and tiny arms helped it catch and eat bugs.3
?How big was Achillesaurus?
Scientists do not know its exact size because only a partial skeleton has been found. It was a relatively large alvarezsaurid, bigger than its close relative Alvarezsaurus.42
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Achillesaurus
- Named by
- Martinelli and Vera 20075
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Alvarezsauridae5
- Classification
- Theropoda > Alvarezsauridae5
- Age of the rocks
- 86 to 84 million years (Santonian)5
- Rock formations
- Bajo de la Carpa5
- Countries
- Argentina5
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Discovery
- Achillesaurus was named by paleontologists Agustín Martinelli and Ezequiel Vera in 2007, based on a partial skeleton found in Argentina.52
- Still debated
- Scientists still debate whether Achillesaurus is more closely related to other South American alvarezsaurids or to the Asian group Mononykinae.2
Where the facts come from
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Achillesaurus manazzonei, a new alvarezsaurid theropod (Dinosauria) from the Late Cretaceous Bajo de la Carpa Formation, Río Negro Province, Argentina | Zootaxa (biotaxa.org)
- Achillesaurus (prehistoric-wildlife.com)
- Achillesaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Achillesaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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