ORNITHOMIMUS
Ornithomimus velox
Meaning: "Bird Mimic"
📊 STATS
Size comparison:
About as long as a small car!
📖 ABOUT ORNITHOMIMUS
Meet Ornithomimus, the speedy 'Bird Mimic'! This dinosaur was super fast and lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period. Get ready to learn all about this amazing dino!
Ornithomimus, meaning 'Bird Mimic,' was a fascinating dinosaur that roamed North America during the Late Cretaceous period. Imagine a dinosaur that looked a bit like an ostrich but with long arms and claws! That's Ornithomimus! It was about 3.5 to 4 meters long and could run incredibly fast, reaching speeds of up to 60 kilometers per hour! That's faster than a car in the city!
Scientists believe Ornithomimus was an omnivore, meaning it probably ate a mix of plants, insects, and maybe even small animals. Its long arms and claws likely helped it grab food. Because its bite force is unknown, paleontologists think it probably ate softer foods.
Ornithomimus was a bipedal dinosaur, which means it walked on two legs. Its lightweight body and strong legs were perfect for running. While fossils have been found in the USA and Canada, much is still unknown about Ornithomimus, making it a mystery waiting to be solved!
🔬 CLASSIFICATION
- Group
- Theropoda
- Family
- Ornithomimidae
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (100-66 Ma)
- Era
- 76.0 - 66.0 million years ago
🗺️ DISCOVERY
- Year
- 1890
- Discovered by
- Othniel Charles Marsh
- Location
- Colorado, USA
- Fossils found in
- USA, Canada
🎨 SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATION
Artistic reconstruction of Ornithomimus based on fossil evidence
🗺️ WHERE FOSSILS WERE FOUND
USA, Canada
🤓 FUN FACTS
- ✨ Ornithomimus got its name because its foot bones looked very similar to those of modern birds!
- ✨ This dinosaur lived at the same time as the mighty Tyrannosaurus Rex!
- ✨ Ornithomimus was a very fast runner, probably to escape predators or catch its own food!
- ✨ The first Ornithomimus fossil was discovered in 1890, more than 130 years ago!
- ✨ Scientists aren't completely sure what Ornithomimus ate, making it a dino-mystery!
💡 DID YOU KNOW?
Get this: Ornithomimus lived right up until the very end of the dinosaur age! It was one of the last dinosaurs to exist before the big extinction event!
