Arkansaurus
Arkansaurus was a fast, ostrich-like dinosaur that lived in what is now Arkansas, USA, about 113 to 100 million years ago. It ran on two long legs and used its beak to eat plants, insects, and maybe even eggs.12
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Fun facts
Arkansaurus is the only dinosaur fossil ever described from the state of Arkansas.1
Its foot bones show a greenstick fracture, which is the first time such a healed break has been found in a dinosaur fossil.1
The dinosaur was discovered in 1972 by Joe B. Friday on his farm, and it was named after him and the state.1
Arkansaurus was a basal ornithomimosaur, meaning it was an early relative of the ostrich-like dinosaurs, but not as advanced.1
It lived along the shoreline of a shallow sea that covered parts of North America during the Early Cretaceous.2
Scientists think Arkansaurus could run fast because its foot bones were long and slim, with three toes.2
Most asked questions about Arkansaurus
?How big was Arkansaurus?
Arkansaurus was about 4.6 metres (15 feet) long and weighed around 380.5 kilograms (839 pounds).1
?Did Arkansaurus have feathers?
Yes, like other ornithomimosaurs, Arkansaurus had feathers instead of scales.4
?What did Arkansaurus eat?
Arkansaurus was an omnivore, eating plants, insects, and possibly eggs, using its beak-like mouth.5
?How fast could Arkansaurus run?
Arkansaurus was a very fast runner, with strong back legs and an ostrich-like build.4
?When did Arkansaurus live?
Arkansaurus lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 113 to 100 million years ago.14
?Is Arkansaurus a dinosaur?
Yes, Arkansaurus is a dinosaur. It is an ornithomimosaurian theropod dinosaur.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Arkansaurus was a meat-eater like a raptor.
Truth: It was actually an omnivore, eating plants, insects, and maybe eggs, based on its beak and toothless mouth.2
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Arkansaurus
- Named by
- Hunt and Quinn 20186
- Group
- Ostrich dinos
- Family / clade
- Ornithomimosauria6
- Classification
- Theropoda > Ornithomimosauria6
- Age of the rocks
- 113 to 100 million years (Albian)6
- Countries
- USA6
- Fossil records
- 1 in the Paleobiology Database6
- Discovery
- The foot bones were found in August 1972 by Joe B. Friday in a gravel pit near Lockesburg, Arkansas. Dr. James Harrison Quinn studied them and named the dinosaur Arkansaurus fridayi, but he died before publishing. The name was officially published in 2018 by paleontologists ReBecca Hunt-Foster and James Harrison Quinn.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly what Arkansaurus looked like because only foot bones have been found. Its appearance is guessed from related dinosaurs.2
Where the facts come from
- Arkansaurus (en.wikipedia.org)
- “Arkansaurus fridayi” (geology.arkansas.gov)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- U of A Alumna Confirms That State Dinosaur Is a New Species | Arkansas News | University of Arkansas (news.uark.edu)
- Arkansaurus fridayi (geology.arkansas.gov)
- Arkansaurus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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Archaeopteryx
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Microraptor
Deinonychus