Dromiceiomimus

emu mimic

• Dromiceius · New Latin · former genus name of the emu
• mimos · Greek · mimic, imitator

The name combines Dromiceius, an older scientific name for the emu genus, with the Greek mimos, "mimic". It refers to the animal's long-legged, flightless-bird-like build and fast-running habits, which resemble those of an emu. It was coined for a slender ornithomimid originally described as Ornithomimus brevitertius and Ornithomimus samueli.

Named by

Russell

Year named

1972

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stages

Campanian – Maastrichtian

Found in

Alberta, Canada (Dinosaur Park and Horseshoe Canyon formations)

Dromiceiomimus is a published dinosaur genus (an ornithomimid theropod), but many researchers now regard it as a junior synonym of Ornithomimus. Its type species, D. brevitertius, is often treated as Ornithomimus edmontonicus or O. velox, and D. samueli as Ornithomimus samueli. Treatment varies between authors, so the exact synonymy and the stage range are less certain.