Name:
Timimus (Greek for "Tim's mimic"); pronounced tih-MIME-us
Habitat:
Plains of Australia
Historical Period:
Middle Cretaceous (110-100 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 12 feet long and 500 pounds
Diet:
Probably omnivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Bipedal stance; slender legs
About Timimus:
Less is known about Timimus (named after two paleontologists who happened to be named Tim) than about any other ornithomimid ("bird mimic") yet discovered. In fact, the remains of this theropod are so sparse--consisting of two femurs, from two different individuals--that scientists aren't even sure about its exact classification: some believe it to have been a true ornithomimid, while others argue that it was a small, early theropod known as a coelurosaur, and thus closely related to Coelurus. Hopefully, future discoveries will settle the issue one way or the other.
