Shuvuuia

bird

• shuvuu · Mongolian · bird
• -ia · Latin · Latinised genus-name suffix

The name comes from the Mongolian word "shuvuu", meaning "bird", with a Latinised ending. It was chosen because this small, long-legged theropod has a bird-like skeleton and was first thought to be an early bird. The type species is Shuvuuia deserti, "of the desert", after the Gobi Desert.

Named by

Chiappe, Norell and Clark

Year named

1998

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Campanian

Found in

Djadochta Formation, Ukhaa Tolgod, Gobi Desert, Mongolia

A small alvarezsaurid theropod (family Alvarezsauridae) with short, stout arms bearing a single large claw, and a long, slender, toothed snout. It is a valid genus. The type and only widely recognised species is S. deserti.