| Bonapartenykus Temporal range: Late Cretaceous | |
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| artbyjrc's illustration of Bonapartenykus ultimus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Sauropsida |
| clade: | Dinosauria |
| Suborder: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Alvarezsauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Patagonykinae |
| Genus: | †Bonapartenykus Agnolin et al. 2012 |
| Species: | †B. ultimus |
| Binomial name | |
| †Bonapartenykus ultimus Agnolin et al. 2012 | |
Bonapartenykus (meaning "Bonaparte's claw"; named after José Bonaparte) is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous in the Allen Formation of northwestern Patagonia, Argentina. It is known from one species, the type species, Bonapartenykus ultimus.
Discovery[]
Only one specimen of Bonapartenykus has been found. This specimen of Bonapartenykus ultimus, an adult female, was discovered with two eggs supposedly still in its oviducts, authough some evidence suggests that the eggs may have been lying in a nest, being incubated by the mother. The eggs of Bonapartenykus were unique, and were given a new parataxonomic name, Arriagadoolithus, as well as a new oofamily, the Arriagadoolithidae, which was named after the owner of the site where the discovery was made.
Description[]
The specimen of Bonapartenykus ultimus has been estimated at the length of a least 8.5 feet (2.6 m) and the weight of the specimen is estimated to be at about 100 pounds (45 kg). Bonapartenykus probably ate insects and other small creatures.
Gallery[]
