[D] Mononykus olecranus ~/~
Describer
Perle, Norell, Chiappe & Clark, 1993
Time
Cretaceous Late Campanian
Classification
Saurischia Theropoda Tetanurae Coelurosauria Maniraptora Avialae Alvarezsauridae
Diet
Carnivore
Fossilsite
Djadochta Formation; Nemegt Formation, Mongolia; Iren Dabasu Formation, China
Length
0.90 meter
Info
Genus - Typespecies
\\\"one claw\\\" Name for preoccupied Mononychus olecranus related to Alvarezsaurus. Mononykus classification is in the Alvarezsauridae as an avialan taxon above Archaeopteryx. The arms, and most importantly, the claws of Mononykus, suggest heavy and specialized use. The first fragmantary remains of Mononykus has been classified as a basal bird (Perle et al, 1994). Although it displays many avian features, it has also retained many theropod characters and is one of the best examples showing the complexity of the theropod-bird transition.