Genus
Valid Extinct

Avimimus

Kurzanov 1981
Etymology Mimant l'oiseau

Avimimus, meaning "bird mimic", is a genus of oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur, named for its bird-like characteristics, that lived in the late Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia, during the Maastrichtian.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
8
Group
Dinosaures
Omnivore Ground dwelling (surface) Terrestrial
Avimimus
click to enlarge
Avimimus skeleton © ★Kumiko★ · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Theropoda Unranked clade
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Neotheropoda Unranked clade
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Averostra Unranked clade
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Tetanurae Unranked clade
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Coelurosauria Unranked clade
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Maniraptora Unranked clade
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Oviraptorosauria Infraorder
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Avimimus Genus
Measurements
Length
1,5 m ⓘ
Avimimus nemegtensis
1,5 m ⓘ
Mass
15 kg ⓘ
Avimimus nemegtensis
Fossil sites 8 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇲🇳 Mongolia
7
🇨🇦 Canada
1
Geological formations
Nemegt
5
Dinosaur Park
1
Baruungoyot
1
Djadokhta
1
Temporal distribution
Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)
5
Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)
3
Species (2)
Avimimus nemegtensis 72 Ma
Avimimus portentosus 84 Ma
Images 2
Bibliography
Original description
S. M. Kurzanov. 1981. O neobuchnykh teropodakh iz verkhnego mela MNR [An unusual theropod from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia]. Fossil Reptiles of Mongolia. Sovmestnaya Sovetsko-Mongol'skaya Paleontologicheskaya Ekspeditsiya, Trudy [The Joint Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition, Transactions] 24:39-50
Bibliography (6)
Ł. Czepiński. 2020. New protoceratopsid specimens improve the age correlation of the Upper Cretaceous Gobi Desert strata. Acta Palaeontologica Polonica 65(3):481-497 DOI ↗
G. F. Funston, S. E. Mendonca, and P. J. Currie, R. Barsbold. 2018. Oviraptorosaur anatomy, diversity and ecology in the Nemegt Basin. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology 494:101-120 DOI ↗
T. Tsuihiji, L. M. Witmer, and M. Watabe, R. Barsbold, K. Tsogtbaatar, S. Suzuki, P. Khatanbaatar. 2017. New information on the cranial morphology of Avimimus (Theropoda: Oviraptorosauria). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 37(4):e1347177:1-12 DOI ↗
S. Ishigaki, M. Watabe, and K. Tsogtbaatar, M. Saneyoshi. 2009. Dinosaur footprints from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia. Geological Quarterly 53(4):449-460
M. J. Ryan and A. P. Russell. 2001. Dinosaurs of Alberta (exclusive of Aves). Mesozoic Vertebrate Life
S. M. Kurzanov. 1981. O neobuchnykh teropodakh iz verkhnego mela MNR [An unusual theropod from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia]. Fossil Reptiles of Mongolia. Sovmestnaya Sovetsko-Mongol'skaya Paleontologicheskaya Ekspeditsiya, Trudy [The Joint Soviet-Mongolian Paleontological Expedition, Transactions] 24:39-50