Bonapartenykus

Bonaparte's claw

• Bonaparte · Surname (Latinised) · José F. Bonaparte, Argentine paleontologist
• nykus · Greek · claw (from onyx; after the alvarezsaurid Nykus)

The name honours the Argentine paleontologist José F. Bonaparte, who made major contributions to the study of South American dinosaurs. The second half comes from the Greek word for "claw", echoing the name of the related alvarezsaurid Nykus, and refers to the animal's reduced, single stout claw on each hand. Together the name means "Bonaparte's claw".

Named by

Agnolin et al.

Year named

2012

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Allen Formation, Río Negro Province, Patagonia, Argentina

A small, feathered-type theropod belonging to the Alvarezsauridae. The type species is Bonapartenykus ultimus. It is known from partial skeletal remains and associated eggs (Arriagadoolithus), which are among the few eggs linked to an alvarezsaurid.