THE ORNITHOMIMOSAURIAN DINOSAURS

Avimimus

Av-i-MIME-us

Bird mimic

Saurischia: Ornithomimosauria

Late Cretaceous

Southern Mongolia

Avimimus was a small dinosaur, only up to 5ft (1.5m) lonf and lightly built. Its legs show a lots of birdlike features. In fact, the Russian scientist who described Avimimus in 1981 thought it was closly related with birds. Avimimus had long slender legs, large eyes, and a large brain.

Elaphosaurus

ee-LAF-roe-SAW-rus

Lightweight reptile

Saurischia Ornithomimosauria

Late Jurassic

Tanzania

Elaphrosaurus is the oldest known ornithomimosaur: all the others like ornithomimus and struthimimus, lived in tha late Cretaceous period, 70 million years later. Elaphrosaurus was 10ft. (3m) long, and not as ostrichlike as its later relatives. Its arms were short. Both the feet and hands only had three fingers or toes. Elaphrosaurus is best known from the famous Tendaguru dinosaur beds in Tanzania. These have also yielded the dinosaurs barosaurus, brachiosaurus and kentrosaurus.

Gallimimus

GAL-ih-MIME-us

Rooster mimic

Sauruschia: Ornithomimosauria

Late Cretaceous

Southern Mongolia

Gallimimus was probably the largest ornithomimosaur. It was about 13ft. (4m) lnog. Slightly bigger than its close relatives ornithomimus and struthiomimus. Gallimimus had hands that could not grasp things, and so probably couldnot have torn up meat. It has been suggested that it scraped at the soil and may have been fed on eggs. Gallimimus had a long snout with a broad, flat end.

Ornithomimus

Or-NITH-oh-MIME-us

Bird Mimic

Saurischia: Ornithomimosauria

Late Cretaceous

Western Canada and USA

Ornithomimus was a medium-sized dinosaur, that looked like an ostrich.The tail was more than half of its lenght of 13ft. (4m). Many skeletons and odd bones of Ornithomimus have been found, and ten spicies have been described. Ornithomimus had no teeth, but probably had a horny beak. It may have gathered food such as leaves, fruit, roots, insects, lizards, and small mammals using its long strong fingers. It could chop and swallow food in chunks, just as birds do.

Oviraptor

OVE-ih-RAP-tor

Egg stealer

Saurischia: ? Ornithomimosauria

Late Cretaceous

Southern Mongolia

Oviraptor was an unusual and small coelurosaur. The first skeleton was found in 1923 just above a nest of protoceratops eggs, and for this reason it was thought, that ovirraptor was an egg-eater. It had a short head and a powerful, toothlees beak. The jaws were curved so that it could crush very hard objects. Oviraptor had strong threefingered hands with large claws which may have been useful in grasping. Oviraptor may have eaten eggs, bu the powerful beak suggests that it may have crushed bones.

Struthiomimus

STROOTH-ee-oh-MIME-us

Ostrich mimic

Saurischia: Ornithomimosauria

Late Cratecous

Alberta, Canada and New Jersey, USA

Struthiomimus was shaped just like an ostrich, but without feathers. It was 12ft. (3.5m) long and had a very slender body. Its head was small and it had no teeth – only a horny beak. It had a long neck and a long tail which was used for balance. Struthiomimus was fast on its long hind legs and could have used three-fingered hand to dig up food and to grasp things.