Ondogurvel
"egg lizard"
- Lived
- 84 to 72 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Alvarezsauridae
- Found in
- Mongolia
- Named by
- Averianov and Lopatin 2022
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
80 million years ago
Habitat
It lived on dry land in Mongolia, recorded by the Baruungoyot Formation. Other dinosaurs from these rocks include Saichania, Tarchia and Shri.
Field notes
About Ondogurvel
What it was like
Ondogurvel was a small alvarezsaur, a bird-like theropod with long legs. It is known from a hind leg and other bones.
Its world
It lived in the Late Cretaceous, in what is now Mongolia. It comes from the Baruungoyot Formation, a dry land shared with the armored Saichania and Tarchia and the dromaeosaur Shri.
How it was found
Averianov and Lopatin named Ondogurvel in 2022.
Field gallery
More views of Ondogurvel
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Ondogurvel.
The evidence
The science behind Ondogurvel
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A partial skeleton preserves bones of the backbone, hips, hand and hind limbs.
- The outer metatarsals, long bones in the foot, are fused along their contact surfaces.
- Its fused wrist and hand bones have joints for small side fingers beside the main finger.
Borrowed from relatives
- The missing skull and tail can be restored by comparison with alvarezsaurs such as Mononykus and Shuvuuia.
- Fused foot bones link it with Xixianykus and Albinykus in the naming paper's family tree.
Still unknown
- Its skull shape and teeth.
- Its skin covering and color.
- Exactly what it ate.
Discovery timeline
- 2022Named itAverianov & Lopatin
- 2023Same rocksKubo et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Ondogurvel
Named it
Described a partial skeleton with unusually fused foot bones and compared its hand joints with those of other alvarezsaurs.
A new alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Cretaceous Research 135: 105168
Read the paper : A new alvarezsaurid theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Gobi Desert, Mongolia (opens in a new tab)Same rocks
Described Jaculinykus from the same formation, preserved curled up like a sleeping bird, and compared its hand with Ondogurvel.
A new alvarezsaurid dinosaur (Theropoda, Alvarezsauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of Mongolia provides insights for bird-like sleeping behavior in non-avian dinosaurs. PLOS ONE 18: e0293801
Read the paper : A new alvarezsaurid dinosaur (Theropoda, Alvarezsauria) from the Upper Cretaceous Baruungoyot Formation of Mongolia provides insights for bird-like sleeping behavior in non-avian dinosaurs (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Alvarezsauridae
Sources: Wikidata