Albertonykus
Albertonykus | |
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Life restoration | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Clade: | Dinosauria |
Clade: | Saurischia |
Clade: | Theropoda |
Family: | †Alvarezsauridae |
Tribe: | † Mononykini
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Genus: | †Albertonykus Currie , 2009
|
Species: | †A. borealis
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Binomial name | |
†Albertonykus borealis Longrich & Currie, 2009
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Albertonykus (meaning "
Albertonykus is interpreted as having fed on wood-nesting termites because the forelimbs appear specialized for digging, but are too short for burrowing. Albertonykus is the earliest-known North American alvarezsaurid. Isolated bones of alvarezsaurids are known from late Maastrichtian rocks in Montana and Wyoming (USA). The bones now belonged to a new genus, Trierarchuncus.[3][4]
The type species is A. borealis, described by Nick Longrich and Philip Currie in 2009. The specific name (borealis) means "north".[5]
Discovery
Until the 1990s it was unknown that dinosaurs like Albertonykus existed. A chain of new discoveries from Asia and South America exposed the existence of these previously unknown theropod dinosaurs.
Renewed quarrying in the Albertosaurus bonebed in Dry Island Provincial Park again produced the remains of over twenty specimens of Albertosaurus, and the quarry has yet to be fully excavated. It is not known why so many tyrannosaurs were found in one place: paleontologist Nick Longrich speculated that the site was part of a predator trap, where trapped prey animals drew predators to their deaths.[7]
At the same site, over a dozen arm and leg bones belonging to an unknown species of small theropod were in 2002 excavated by a team of scientist led by
Description
Albertonykus is the smallest known alvarezsauridae ever discovered in North America, measuring 1.1 m (3.6 ft) long and weighing 5 kg (11 lb).[10] Alvarezsaurs typically had slender hind legs, long rigid tails, and unusually short arms that were powerfully built to support a large claw. Although no skull bones of Albertonykus have been found, related animals from Mongolia show that they likely had long, slender snouts filled with tiny teeth similar to those of armadillos and anteaters.[7] It is likely that Albertonykus ate insects, using its large thumb claw to tear open rotten logs to find its prey.[8] As in other alvarezsaurs, the forelimbs of Albertonykus were specialized for digging, but were too short to permit burrowing. Unfortunately at this time the skeleton of Albertonykus is not complete, but its Mongolian relatives give us a distinct idea of what the rest of the skeleton would have looked like.[7]
Possible prey items were evaluated and compared with the fossil record of social insects. Ants were not an important part of the ecosystem during the Cretaceous, and mound-building termites do not appear until the Eocene. This leaves the possibility that Albertonykus preyed on wood-nesting termites. This hypothesis was tested by examining petrified wood from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, where Albertonykus was found. The wood found there frequently contains borings, which resemble those of termites.
Classification
Albertonykus is a member of an unusual
References
- ^ Larson, D. W., Brinkman, D. B., & Bell, P. R. (2010). Faunal assemblages from the upper Horseshoe Canyon Formation, an early Maastrichtian cool-climate assemblage from Alberta, with special reference to the Albertosaurus sarcophagus bonebed This article is one of a series of papers published in this Special Issue on the theme Albertosaurus. Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences, 47(9), 1159-1181.
- .
- S2CID 225630913.
- ^ "Badlands - Research - 2020 new alvarezsaurid species". Dickinson Museum Center. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
- .
- ^ a b Brian Switek, Smithsonian Magazine, http://dinosaur.smithsonianmag.com/2008/10/06/a-dinosaur-that-ate-termites-for-breakfast/ Archived 2008-10-14 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ a b c d Nick Longrich, University of Calgary,"Albertonykus borealis". Archived from the original on 2009-03-22. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
- ^ a b c d Ken Than, National Geographic News, [1]
- ^ a b Jeanna Bryner, MSNBC.com, http://www.nbcnews.com/id/26856262
- ISBN 9780691167664.
External links
- Small 'Dr. Seuss'-like dinosaur dug up in Alberta news report at CBC.ca