Nemegtonykus

Nemegt claw

• Nemegt · Mongolian (place name) · the Nemegt Formation/Basin in the Gobi Desert, Mongolia
• onykus · Greek · claw

Nemegtonykus combines the Nemegt Formation (or Nemegt Basin) of Mongolia, where the fossil was found, with the Greek word for "claw". The "-onykus" ending echoes related alvarezsaurid names such as Mononykus ("single claw") and Linhenykus, which refer to the animal's stout, reduced forelimb with a prominent claw.

Named by

Pittman et al.

Year named

2020

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Nemegt Formation, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

A small alvarezsauroid theropod dinosaur; the type species is Nemegtonykus citernus. It is notable as one of the few alvarezsaurids known from the Nemegt Formation. The exact age within the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) is my best recollection and is less certain.