Alvarezsauridae

Mononykus ( , sometimes ; meaning "one claw") is a genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Mongolia, specifically the Nemegt Formation. Mononykus was a very small theropod, estimated around in length with a weight of . As in Shuvuuia, Mononykus likely developed a shaggy feathering. It was lightly built with long, thin legs and highly reduced and specialized forelimbs that were likely used for foraging termite mounds or other insect colonies.

Alvarezsaurus (; "Don Gregorio Alvarez's lizard") is a genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous, living in Argentina approximately 86 - 83 million years ago. It was a small dinosaur, measuring long and weighing approximately . It was found in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation and was named by paleontologist José Bonaparte in 1991 after the historian Don Gregorio Alvarez. The type species is A. calvoi.

Shuvuuia is a genus of bird-like theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous period of Mongolia. It is a member of the family Alvarezsauridae, small coelurosaurian dinosaurs which are characterized by short but powerful forelimbs specialized for digging. The type (and only known) species is Shuvuuia deserti, or "desert bird". The name Shuvuuia is derived from the Mongolian word shuvuu (шувуу) meaning "bird".

Alvarezsauridae is a family of small, long-legged dinosaurs. Although originally thought to represent the earliest known flightless birds, they are now thought to be an early diverging branch of maniraptoran theropods. Alvarezsaurids were highly specialized. They had tiny but stout forelimbs, with compact, bird-like hands. Their skeletons suggest that they had massive breast and arm muscles, possibly adapted for digging or tearing. They had long, tube-shaped snouts filled with tiny teeth. They have been interpreted as myrmecophagous, adapted to prey on colonial insects such as termites, with t

Albertonykus (meaning "Alberta claw") is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Maastrichtian-age (Upper Cretaceous) rocks of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada. It is known from forelimb and hindlimb remains from multiple individuals. All but two of the specimens come from a bonebed dominated by Albertosaurus, located at the top of Unit 4 of the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, dating to ~68.5 million years ago.

Parvicursor (meaning "small runner") is a genus of very small alvarezsaurid maniraptoran dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period of Mongolia. It had long, slender legs adapted for fast running.

Linhenykus is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia, China. It is the most basal known member of the Parvicursorinae. The genus gets its name from Linhe, a city near the site where the fossil was first found and Greek nykus, "claw". The specific name is derived from Greek monos, "single", and daktylos, "finger", a reference to the fact that it is the only known non-avian dinosaur to have had but a single digit.

Patagonykus (meaning "Patagonian claw") is a genus of alvarezsauroid theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. It was discovered in exposures of the Portezuelo Formation (Turonian-Coniacian) of the Rio Neuquén Subgroup in the Neuquén Basin, Neuquén Province. The holotype consists of an incomplete but well-preserved skeleton, lacking a skull, but including many vertebrae, the coracoids, a partial forelimb, pelvic girdle, and hindlimbs. Patagonykus has been classed with the Alvarezsauridae, a family which includes such taxa as the Mongolian Mononykus and the also Argentinian Alva

Ceratonykus (meaning "horned claw") is a monospecific genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur from Mongolia that lived during the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) in what is now the Barun Goyot Formation. The type and only species, Ceratonykus oculatus, is known from a fragmentary skeleton, including an incomplete skull, of an adult individual. It was named and described in 2009 by Vladimir Alifanov and Rinchen Barsbold. Its describers questioned the traditional placement of alvarezsaurs in Theropoda, instead suggesting they were ornithischians, but this has not been accepted since. Ceratonykus has an

Bradycneme (meaning "ponderous leg") is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous-aged (Maastrichtian) Sânpetru Formation of the Hațeg Basin, Transylvania, Romania. The type species is Bradycneme draculae, known only from a partial right lower leg (specimen BMNH A1588), which its original describers believed it came from a giant owl.

Albinykus (meaning "Albin claw", after a term used by Mongolian shamans to describe light phenomena in the Gobi Desert) is a genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur whose fossils have been found in the Late Cretaceous-aged (Santonian) Javkhlant Formation in the Gobi Desert of Mongolia. The type species, A. baatar, was named by Sterling J. Nesbitt, Julia A. Clarke, Alan H. Turner and Mark A. Norell in 2011.

Bonapartenykus (meaning "José F. Bonaparte's claw") is an extinct genus of alvarezsauroid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous (Campanian–Maastrichtian) of what is now the Allen Formation of the Río Negro Province, Argentina. The genus contains a single species, Bonapartenykus ultimus, known from a partially articulated, incomplete skeleton that was found in close association to two incomplete eggs and several clusters of eggshells belonging to the oogenus Arriagadoolithus. Bonapartenykus was named in 2012. It has an estimated length of and weight of , making it the largest member of

Heptasteornis is a dubious genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous. The type (and only known) species is Heptasteornis andrewsi, described as a presumed gigantic prehistoric owl in 1975. It was previously included in Elopteryx nopcsai and indeed the holotypes of both species were believed to be from the same individual as they were discovered, and initially were assigned the same specimen number. This appears to be in error however (see below).

Trierarchuncus (meaning "captain hook," after its single-clawed hands) is a monotypic genus of alvarezsaurid theropod which includes a single species, Trierarchuncus prairiensis, mainly known from fossils found in deposits of the Hell Creek Formation in Montana. It is the youngest known alvarezsaurid and one of the last non-avian dinosaurs, going extinct during the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, which occurred approximately 66 million years ago.

Jaculinykus (meaning "Jaculus claw") is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of Mongolia. The genus contains a single species, J. yaruui, known from a nearly complete articulated skeleton including bones of the skull. Jaculinykus is notable for its unique hand, which has a hypertrophied first digit and greatly reduced second digit, which is intermediate between the tridactyl hand of Shuvuuia and monodactyl hand of Linhenykus.

Qiupanykus (IPA: International Phonetic Alphabet|, meaning "claw from the Qiupa Formation") is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid theropod from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Henan Province, China. The type and only species is Q. zhangi, named for Shuancheng Zhang, who assisted in finding the fossils of Qiupanykus. ==Discovery== thumb|left|A map of the Qiupa Formation with a corresponding stratigraphic chart The Qiupa Formation is located in the Tantou Basin which is in Luanchuan County of the Henan province in China. Lithological correlation of the local strata has dated the Qiupa Form

Nemegtonykus (meaning "Nemegt claw") is a genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous ( Maastrichtian) Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. The type and only species is Nemegtonykus citus. It is the second alvarezsaurid known from the Nemegt Formation, preceded by Mononykus.

Ondogurvel (meaning "egg lizard") is a genus of alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Campanian) Barun Goyot Formation in southern Mongolia. The type and only species is O. alifanovi, known from a partial skeleton consisting of fragments of two last dorsal vertebrae, three anterior sacral vertebrae, right ilium, left and right pubis and ischium, articulated right tibia, fibula, metatarsals II and IV, and phalanges IV-1 and IV-2, right carpometacarpus, left and right manual phalanx II-1, right femur, left pedal phalanx II-1, and fragments of unidentified phalanges.

Dzharaonyx (meaning "Dzharakuduk claw", named after the type locality) is a genus of alvarezsaurid theropod from the Late Cretaceous Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan. The type and only species is D. eski. The specific epithet "eski" is an Uzbek word for "old". ==Discovery and naming== thumb|left|A map of the locality where Dzharaonyx was found in Uzbekistan (red star) All remains of Dzharaonyx were discovered at a single locality called Dzharakuduk, which is in the Kyzylkum Desert of Uzbekistan. The first remains belonging to alvarezsaurid dinosaurs, which would later be referred to Dzharaonyx

Khulsanurus (meaning "tail from Khulsan") is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of the Khulsan Locality in the Gobi Desert region of Mongolia. The type and only species is Khulsanurus magnificus.

Manipulonyx is an extinct genus of alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaurs known from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian age) Nemegt Formation of Mongolia. The genus contains a single species, Manipulonyx reshetovi, known from a partial skeleton. This includes the most complete forelimb known from any member of the alvarezsaurid subfamily Parvicursorinae, including all of the proximal bones. Manipulonyx has been interpreted as an ovivore (egg-eater), with unique ossified spikes on the wrist that helped the animal to grasp eggs and an enlarged claw on the functionally-monodactyl hand being used to pun