Trierarchuncus
Trierarchuncus was a tiny, feathered dinosaur that lived right at the end of the age of dinosaurs. It had short arms with just one big claw on each hand, like a hook. It ran fast on its long legs and probably ate insects and small animals.1
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Fun facts
Trierarchuncus is the youngest known alvarezsaurid, meaning it lived just before the big extinction 66 million years ago.1
Its name means 'captain hook' because its hand had only one big claw, like a pirate's hook.1
Scientists think Trierarchuncus was covered in feathers, like many of its relatives.1
It lived alongside famous dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops in the Hell Creek area.1
The first fossils were found in Montana in 1980, but it wasn't officially named until 2020.1
Trierarchuncus had a bird-like head and long legs, so it could probably run quickly.1
Most asked questions about Trierarchuncus
?How big was Trierarchuncus?
No one knows its exact size, but it was a small dinosaur. Its hand claws are only a few centimetres long, so it was probably about the size of a modern turkey or a small dog.12
?What did Trierarchuncus eat?
It probably ate insects and small animals. Scientists think it used its single big claw to tear apart logs and search for bugs, like an anteater.12
?When did Trierarchuncus live?
It lived right at the end of the age of dinosaurs, about 66 million years ago. It went extinct in the big mass extinction that killed most dinosaurs.1
?Did Trierarchuncus have feathers?
Yes. Like its relatives, Trierarchuncus was covered in feathers. It had a bird-like head and long legs.1
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Myth buster
Myth: Some people think Trierarchuncus was a bird because it had feathers and a beak-like mouth.
Truth: Trierarchuncus was a dinosaur, not a bird. It belonged to a group called alvarezsaurids, which were feathered theropod dinosaurs.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Trierarchuncus
- Named by
- Fowler et al. 20203
- Group
- Odd feathered dinos
- Family / clade
- Alvarezsauridae3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Alvarezsauridae3
- Age of the rocks
- 72 to 66 million years (Maastrichtian)3
- Rock formations
- Hell Creek3
- Countries
- USA3
- Fossil records
- 6 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- The first bones were found in Montana in 1980, but the dinosaur was not named until 2020 by Denver Fowler and colleagues. They named it Trierarchuncus prairiensis based on claw bones and other fragments.1
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly what Trierarchuncus ate. It might have eaten insects, but it could also have eaten small animals or eggs.1
Where the facts come from
- Trierarchuncus (en.wikipedia.org)
- New manual unguals of Trierarchuncus prairiensis from the Hell Creek Formation, Montana, and the ontogenetic development of the functional alvarezsaurid hand claw (sciencedirect.com)
- Trierarchuncus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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