Avimimus
Avimimus was a small, fast-running dinosaur that looked a lot like a bird. It had a beak like a parrot and may have had feathers on its arms. Scientists think it lived in what is now Mongolia during the Late Cretaceous period.21
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Fun facts
Avimimus had a large brain and big eyes, which helped it see well and think fast.2
Its legs were very long and slender, making it a fast runner. Its shins were longer than its thighs, just like in many speedy animals today.2
The bones in its hand were fused together, just like in modern birds. This is one reason scientists think it was very bird-like.2
A fossil bonebed in Mongolia contained at least ten Avimimus individuals together. This suggests they lived in groups, maybe for safety or to find mates.2
Avimimus had a beak with no teeth, but some later fossils show tiny teeth in the front of the upper jaw. Scientists are still studying this.2
When Avimimus was first discovered, scientists thought it had no tail. Later finds proved it did have a tail, just like other dinosaurs.2
Most asked questions about Avimimus
?Did Avimimus have feathers?
Yes, most scientists now agree Avimimus had feathers. Quill knobs on its arm bones suggest feathers were attached there.23
?What did Avimimus eat?
It probably ate both plants and small animals, making it an omnivore. Its beak had no teeth, though some fossils show tiny front teeth.21
?How fast could Avimimus run?
It was a very fast runner, with long legs and shins longer than its thighs. One source compares its speed to an ostrich, which can reach 70 km/h.23
?When did Avimimus live?
It lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 80 to 75 million years ago.13
?Is Avimimus a bird?
No, Avimimus is a dinosaur, not a bird. It belonged to a group of bird-like dinosaurs called oviraptorosaurs.2
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Myth buster
Myth: Avimimus could fly.
Truth: Some scientists once thought Avimimus could fly because it had bumps on its arm bones that might have held feathers. But most now agree it could not fly and was a fast runner instead.2
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Avimimus
- Named by
- Kurzanov 19814
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Oviraptorosauria4
- Classification
- Theropoda > Oviraptorosauria4
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)4
- Rock formations
- Nemegt, Baruungoyot, Dinosaur Park4
- Countries
- Mongolia, Canada4
- Fossil records
- 8 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Avimimus was named by Russian paleontologist Sergei Kurzanov in 1981. He found the fossils in Mongolia and thought they came from the Djadokhta Formation, but later scientists think they actually came from the Nemegt Formation.24
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure what Avimimus ate. It might have been an herbivore, an insectivore, or an omnivore. The beak and possible tiny teeth give clues, but no one knows for sure.2
Where the facts come from
- Avimimus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Avimimus (en.wikipedia.org)
- Avimimus - ZoomDinosaurs.com (enchantedlearning.com)
- Avimimus 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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