LegendaryMononykus
Mononykus olecranus
mah-NON-ih-kus· “one claw”
🕰️ Cretaceous🥩 carnivore🦴 Alvarezsauridae
1 m
Length
0.3 m
Height
3.5 kg
Weight
A slender, fast, feathered desert runner with strange stubby arms — each ending in a single powerful claw, probably used to rip open insect nests.
When
Late Cretaceous, ~70 million years ago
Found in
Mongolia
Discovered
Altangerel Perle, 1993
Did you know?
- Each tiny arm ended in a single stout claw.
- It likely dug into termite or ant nests like an anteater.
- It was long-legged, fast and covered in feathers.
Artwork: TotalDino, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.