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Albinykus

Say it: AL-bin-EYE-kus

Name means: “Albin claw, after a term used by Mongolian shamans to describe light phenomena in the Gobi Desert”1

Ate: MeatOdd feathered dinosLate Cretaceous

Albinykus was a tiny, feathered dinosaur that lived in the Gobi Desert. It was one of the smallest dinosaurs ever, weighing less than a bag of sugar. It probably ran around on its two legs, hunting for insects and other small prey.1 4

Lived

86 to 72 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Mongolia, in the Javkhlant Formation of the Gobi Desert1 4

Food

Meat4

Weight

up to 1 kg1 2

estimated, no more than 1 kg

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 8 bananas

lighter than a house catas heavy as 8 bananas

How big was Albinykus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Albinykus was one of the smallest non-avian dinosaurs, weighing less than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).1 2

Its leg bones were fused together in a way not seen in other alvarezsaurids. The ankle bones were completely joined to the shin bone and foot bones.1 2

The only skeleton found was in a sitting position, with its feet tucked under its body. This is like how birds sleep or rest.1 2

Albinykus is the first alvarezsaurid found in a crouching posture. This shows it was closely related to birds.1 2

Alvarezsaurids got smaller over time, and Albinykus was one of the smallest and most evolved of the group.1 2

The skeleton was found in the eastern Gobi Desert, at a place called Khugenetslavkant. It was the first articulated theropod skeleton found there.2

AI-made picture of Albinykus — An AI-made picture of how Albinykus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Albinykus

?How big was Albinykus?

Albinykus was one of the smallest non-avian dinosaurs, weighing less than 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds).1 2

?What did Albinykus eat?

Scientists think Albinykus ate insects, like ants, because its small teeth and strong claw resemble ant-eating mammals. But no direct proof has been found yet.3

?Did Albinykus have feathers?

Yes, Albinykus was a feathered dinosaur. It belonged to a group of dinosaurs closely related to birds.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Some people think Albinykus was a bird because it sat like one.

Truth: Albinykus was a dinosaur, not a bird. But it was closely related to birds, and its sitting posture is similar to how birds rest.1 2

For dino experts

Scientific name: Albinykus
Named by: Nesbitt et al. 20114
Group: Odd feathered dinos
Family / clade: Alvarezsauridae4
Classification: Theropoda > Alvarezsauridae4
Age of the rocks: 86 to 72 million years (Santonian / Campanian)4
Rock formations: Javkhlant4
Countries: Mongolia4
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Albinykus was named by scientists Sterling Nesbitt, Julia Clarke, Alan Turner, and Mark Norell in 2011. The skeleton was found by a joint Mongolian Academy of Sciences and American Museum of Natural History expedition in 2004.1 2
Still debated: Scientists are not sure how Albinykus died while in its sitting position. It might have been buried by sand, but no one knows for sure.1

Where the facts come from

Albinykus (en.wikipedia.org)
A small alvarezsaurid from the eastern Gobi Desert offers insight into evolutionary patterns in the Alvarezsauroidea (tandfonline.com)
Scientists Uncover One of the Smallest Dinosaurs Ever (smithsonianmag.com)
Albinykus 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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