Ondogurvel

Ondogurvel had a special foot where two of its toe bones (metatarsals II and IV) were completely fused together. No other alvarezsaurid dinosaur has this feature.12

It belonged to a group called Parvicursorinae, which had very short arms with only one big finger and a huge claw.2

The only known skeleton of Ondogurvel was found in 1999 by Russian paleontologist Vladimir Alifanov, but it was not described until 2022.12

Ondogurvel lived about 72 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.31

Its name comes from the Mongolian words for 'egg' and 'lizard', because its discoverer thought it might have eaten eggs.1

Ondogurvel was a fast runner. Its long, slender legs and special foot bones helped it sprint after small prey.2