17 Afromimus Facts You'll Never Forget

The dinosaur genus, Afromimus was identified by studying fragmentary remains of parts of a dinosaur skeleton found in the Gadoufaoua locality of Niger in West Africa. The fossils were discovered in 1997. The specimen found there are now preserved in the national museum of Niger, the Musée National Boubou Hama in Niamey. In 2017, Prof. Paul Sereno, a paleontology professor at the University of Chicago, described Afromimus as a new genus of dinosaurs that mimic the characteristics of ornithomimosaurs. The name combines the Latin prefix 'Afro', referring to Africa, and the Greek term 'mimos', meaning 'mimic'. Later in 2019, Mauricio Cerroni re-examined the scientific classification of Afromimus with his colleagues. The study revealed the theropod dinosaur as an Abelisaurid dinosaur, while a phylogenetic analysis indicated that it belongs to the family Noasauridae. 

How do you pronounce 'Afromimus'?

It is pronounced as "af-ro-my-mus".

What type of dinosaur was an Afromimus?

Paul Sereno claimed that the Afromimus was an Ornitomimosaurian. However, the dinosaur was re-classified as a Noasaurid dinosaur, sharing some resemblance with abelisaurids. 

In which geological period did the Afromimus roam the Earth?

It roamed the earth roughly 112 million years ago in the Early Cretaceous period, between the Aptian and Albian ages. 

When did the Afromimus become extinct?

The exact data on their extinction is still not available. However, it is safe to assume they have been extinct for around 66 million years.

Where did Afromimus live?

More evidence in the form of fossils and further research is necessary to determine where the dinosaurs might have lived. 

What was the Afromimus' habitat?

There is not enough evidence to extrapolate the preferred habitat of the dinosaur from millions of years ago. 

Who did the Afromimus live with?

There has not been enough evidence to distinguish how they lived.

How long did an Afromimus live?

There is no available data regarding the lifespan of an Afromimus.

How did they reproduce?

The information about their reproduction process is not available for lack of data. But they might have been oviparous like other dinosaurs, meaning they gave birth by laying eggs.

What did the Afromimus look like?

Afromimus is a medium-sized ornithomimosaur. The only noticeable feature determined from the fossils is that the dinosaur had foot claws that were flat at the bottom. Since Afromimus is considered a basal dinosaur representing multiple dinosaur families, it isn't easy to estimate its possible physiology. 

How many bones did an Afromimus have?

The discovered fossils of the Afromimus consisted of the bones of - a fragment of the dorsal rib, seven distal caudal and partial mid vertebrae, two fragmentary chevrons, majority portion of the right fibula and tibia, along with three phalanges and some of the tarsals. 

How did they communicate?

There isn't enough data as of now to establish their communication pattern. 

How big was the Afromimus?

Paul Sereno stated that the Afromimus was half the size of another theropod dinosaur called Gallimimus bullatus. Based on the measurements of a Gallimimus, the Afromimus dinosaurs were approximately 10 ft (304 cm) in length and 3 ft (91 cm) in height.  

How fast could an Afromimus move?

The existing data is insufficient to estimate the speed of this dinosaur.

How much did an Afromimus weigh?

As per the weight of the Gallimimus dinosaurs, the Afromimus is speculated to have weighed around 397-441 lb (180-200 kg).  

What were the male and female names of the species?

No particular names are assigned to the male and female of the species as of yet.

What would you call a baby Afromimus?

A baby Afromimus is called a hatchling.

How aggressive were they?

More evidence is required to determine their aggressive nature and how they defended themselves. 

Did you know…

The 16th tail vertebra found in the fossil had depressions along the top and bottom surfaces of the broad centrum. Prof. Paul Sereno described it as peanut-shaped. The feature potentially helped the dinosaurs to stabilize their tails instead of flexing them sideways. 

Apart from the flat bottom of the foot claws, the Afromimus specimen had a V-shaped platform with a deep pit in between. The inner edge of the platform is a sharp ridge, while the outer edge is rounded, making it similar to a Noasaurid.

*We've been unable to source an image of Afromimus and have used an image of Pachycephalosaurus instead. We would be happy to credit you if you could provide us with a royalty-free image of Desmatosuchus. Please get in touch with us at [email protected]