Albertonykus

Alberta claw

• Alberto- · Latinised place name · Alberta, the Canadian province where the fossils were found
• -nykus · Greek · claw (from onyx), as used in other alvarezsaurid names such as Mononykus and Nykus

The name combines Alberta, the Canadian province where the fossils were found, with the Greek word for claw. The "-nykus" ending follows earlier alvarezsaurid names such as Mononykus ("one claw"), a nod to the group's stout, single large thumb claw. The name therefore means "Alberta claw".

Named by

Longrich and Currie

Year named

2009

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta, Canada

A small alvarezsaurid theropod, the only known alvarezsaurid from North America. The type species is Albertonykus borealis. It may have fed on insects, possibly by digging into insect nests.