Gallimimus

chicken mimic

• gallus · Latin · chicken, rooster
• mimus · Latin (from Greek mimos) · mimic

The name means "chicken mimic". It combines the Latin "gallus" (chicken or rooster) with "mimus" (mimic). Osmólska, Roniewicz and Barsbold chose it because some of the bones in the snout region resemble those of fowl (Galliformes). It is a large, long-legged, ostrich-like ornithomimosaur.

Named by

Osmólska, Roniewicz and Barsbold

Year named

1972

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Nemegt Formation, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

The type species is Gallimimus bullatus ("bullate/bubble-like", referring to a swelling in the skull). It is the largest known ornithomimid and is known from many specimens, including juveniles. The stage is given as Maastrichtian, though some sources place the Nemegt Formation near the Campanian–Maastrichtian boundary.