Mononykus
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 Mononykus
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Extinct (fossil)
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| Mononykus olecranus Perle et al, 1993 |
Mononykus (mon-o-NYE-kus) ("one claw") was a theropod dinosaur from late Cretaceous Mongolia. It was a member of the family alvarezsauridae and, like its relatives, had very strange, stubby forearms with one large claw 3 inches long (hence its name). The other two claws have disappeared (however, a close relative of Mononykus, Shuvuuia, had two vestigal claws, alongside one large claw). The purpose of these highly specialized arms is still a mystery, but some scientists have suggested they were used to break open termite mounds (like modern anteaters), and therefore it is possible that they fed primarily on insects. Its other characteristics include a birdlike fused wrist bones and a keeled breastbone (also found in moles), and a long tail resembling other dinosaurs. Mononykus lived 75 million years ago, at the same time and place as Velociraptor. It was a small dinosaur, only 3 feet (1 meter) long.
[edit] In popular culture
Mononykus appears in the BBC series Walking with Dinosaurs Special "The Giant Claw", where one specimen is captured by Nigel Marven during his journey in Cretaceous Mongolia to solve the mystery of the giant claw.
[edit] External links
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