Afromimus
Afromimus was a fast, ostrich-like dinosaur that lived in Africa during the Early Cretaceous. It had long legs and a toothless beak, and probably ran quickly across the plains.12
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Fun facts
Afromimus is one of the oldest ornithomimosaurs found in Africa, showing that these ostrich-like dinosaurs lived on southern continents early in their evolution.2
The only known skeleton of Afromimus includes tail bones, chevrons, and parts of the right hind leg.2
Its tail vertebrae have broad, peanut-shaped joints that helped the tail bend and flex.2
Afromimus lived about 113 to 100 million years ago, during the Albian age of the Early Cretaceous.1
The name Afromimus means 'African mimic', because it looks like other ornithomimosaurs but comes from Africa.1
Scientists think Afromimus was a ground-dwelling dinosaur that laid eggs.1
Most asked questions about Afromimus
?How big was Afromimus?
About 4.14 metres long, based on its tibia length and its classification as a noasaurid. It was half the size of Gallimimus and twice the size of Shenzhousaurus.4
?What did Afromimus eat?
Scientists are not sure, but its toothless beak suggests it may have eaten plants, small animals, or eggs. No direct evidence of its diet has been found.4
?Is Afromimus a dinosaur?
Yes, Afromimus is a theropod dinosaur. It was originally thought to be an ornithomimosaur, but later studies suggest it was a ceratosaurian related to abelisauroids.4
?When did Afromimus live?
Afromimus lived during the Early Cretaceous, about 113 to 100 million years ago. That is the Albian age.4
?Could Afromimus run fast?
Probably yes. It had long legs and a light body, like modern ostriches, so it was likely a fast runner. No exact speed has been calculated.4
?Where was Afromimus found?
Its only skeleton was found in the Ténéré Desert of Niger, Africa. It was discovered in 1997 at a place called Gadoufaoua.4
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Afromimus
- Named by
- Sereno 20175
- Group
- Ostrich dinos
- Family / clade
- Ornithomimosauria5
- Classification
- Theropoda > Ornithomimosauria5
- Age of the rocks
- 113 to 100 million years (Albian)5
- Rock formations
- Elrhaz5
- Countries
- Niger5
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database5
- Discovery
- Afromimus was named by paleontologist Paul Sereno in 2017, based on a fragmentary skeleton found in the El Rhaz Formation of Niger.12
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly how big Afromimus was, because only a partial skeleton has been found.2
Where the facts come from
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Early Cretaceous Ornithomimosaurs (Dinosauria: Coelurosauria) from Africa (exa.ai)
- Afromimus (Wikipedia) (Wikipedia)
- Afromimus - Wikipedia (en-wp.org)
- Afromimus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
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