Avimimus portentosus Archosauria: Saurischia: Maniraptora: Avimimidae Locality: Udan Sayr, Gobi Desert, southern Mongolia Age: Late Cretaceous (Campanian), 75 million years ago A single known species of avimimids comes from the Late Cretaceous of Mongolia. This very unusual dinosaur shares some characters in the structure of the forelimb and shoulder girdle with birds. Small carnivorous dinosaurs or theropods are thought to give rise to the birds. The translation of Avimimus, 'bird mimic' reflects the uncertainty of its relationship to birds. It was interpreted by its discoverer, Dr. Sergey Kurzanov, as a dinosaur that had features in parallel with birds, perhaps even feathers. The animal possibly had short, wide wings of limited use for flight and may even have been warm blooded. |
