Name:
Ceratonykus (Greek for "horned claw"); pronounced seh-RAT-oh-NIKE-us
Habitat:
Deserts of central Asia
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (85-80 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 5 feet long and 25 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small size; probably feathers
About Ceratonykus:
Ceratonykus is one of the latest examples of an alvarezsaur, a mysterious branch of bird-like, theropod dinosaurs (closely related to raptors) that sported feathers, bipedal stances, and long legs with correspondingly small arms. Since it was diagnosed based on a single incomplete skeleton, relatively little is known about Ceratonykus or its evolutionary relationship to other dinosaurs and/or birds, other than that it was a prototypical, probably feathered "dino-bird" of the late Cretaceous period.
