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Linhenykus

Say it: lin-hen-EE-kus

Name means: “Linhe claw, from the city of Linhe in Inner Mongolia and the Greek word for claw”1

Ate: InsectsOdd feathered dinosLate Cretaceous

Linhenykus was a tiny dinosaur that lived in the Late Cretaceous period. It is famous for having only one big finger on each hand, making it the only non-avian dinosaur known with just one digit. It probably used its single claw to dig into insect nests for food.2 1

Lived

84 to 72 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Inner Mongolia, China2 1

Food

Insects1

Length

0.5 m1

Weight

0.45 kg to 0.5 kg2 1

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 4 bananas

as long as 3 bananas end to endlighter than a house catas heavy as 4 bananas

How big was Linhenykus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Linhenykus is the only known non-avian dinosaur that had just one functional finger on each hand.2

It was very small, only about 50 centimetres (1.6 feet) long and weighed around 500 grams (18 ounces).1

The fossil was found in the Wulansuhai Formation, which is about 75 to 71 million years old.1

Linhenykus belonged to a group called alvarezsaurids, which are known for their short, strong arms and big claws.2

Scientists think Linhenykus was a subadult when it died, because its bones were not fully fused together.2

The hand of Linhenykus shows a mix of primitive and advanced features, meaning its evolution was complex.2

AI-made picture of Linhenykus — An AI-made picture of how Linhenykus 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 Linhenykus

?How big was Linhenykus?

It was very small, about 50 centimetres (1.6 feet) long and weighed around 500 grams (18 ounces).1

?What did Linhenykus eat?

Scientists think it was insectivorous, using its single claw to dig into ant and termite nests, similar to modern anteaters.1

?Why did Linhenykus have only one finger?

Linhenykus had only one functional finger because the outer digits were reduced and lost their finger bones, making it the only non-avian dinosaur with a single digit.1 2

?Is Linhenykus a dinosaur?

Yes, Linhenykus is a non-avian dinosaur, specifically an alvarezsaurid theropod.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Linhenykus
Named by: Xu et al. 20113
Group: Odd feathered dinos
Family / clade: Alvarezsauridae3
Classification: Theropoda > Alvarezsauridae3
Age of the rocks: 84 to 72 million years (Campanian)3
Rock formations: Wulansuhai3
Countries: China3
Fossil records: 2 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Linhenykus was named in 2011 by Xu Xing and his team. The fossil was collected by Jonah N. Choiniere and Michael Pittman in Inner Mongolia, China.1
Still debated: Scientists are still debating whether Linhenykus used its single claw mainly for digging or for other purposes.2

Where the facts come from

Linhenykus (en.wikipedia.org)
A monodactyl nonavian dinosaur and the complex evolution of the alvarezsauroid hand | PNAS (pnas.org)
Linhenykus 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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