Fun Parvicursor Facts For Kids

The Parvicursor was a Theropod genus of small dinosaurs with the classification identified under the family of Alvarezsauridae and the clade of Saurischia. They were estimated to have lived during the Late Campanian stage of the Late Cretaceous temporal range around 72 million years ago. This small runner was in the Barun Goyot formation of the Khulsan region of Mongolia.

This Parvicursor raptor was found as an incomplete specimen, with only hind legs and the pelvis available for analysis. This genus was described in 2006 by Karhu and Rautian and is said to have been closely related to the Mononykus and the Shuvuuia. In 2002, an unnamed species of the Parvicursor was described by Suzuki et al. but it was initially thought that it was the specimen of a young Shuvuuia. However, in 2009, Phil Currie and Nick Longrich proposed that various features revealed through phylogenetic analysis of this fossilized skeleton proved that they could be grouped with the Parvicursor, but further study is still pending.

The single claw on forelimbs and long, slender legs of these dinosaurs suggests that it was myrmecophagous, which means it fed on insects like termites by digging into their mounds. In addition, there are some speculations that these tiny dinosaurs were nest hunters and fed on eggs of other animals, although this has not been confirmed.

If you enjoy reading about prehistoric wildlife, take a look at the Bahariasaurus and the Pawpawsaurus.

How do you pronounce 'Parvicursor'? 

The Parvicursor pronunciation is 'Par-ve-kur-sor'.

What type of dinosaur was a Parvicursor?

This dinosaur belonged to a genus of small Maniraptoran dinosaurs which were non-avian.

In which geological period did the Parvicursor roam the Earth?

The Parvicursor or 'small runner' ran around on Earth in the Late Cretaceous period.

When did the Parvicursor become extinct?

It was around the Mesozoic age in the Late Cretaceous period that the Parvicursor last lived.

Where did a Parvicursor live? 

The Parvicursor was found in the Barun Goyot formation in Khulsan, Mongolia during the Late Campanian age.

What was a Parvicursor's habitat? 

The Parvicursor was mainly described to be an insectivore and would therefore reside around wetlands and marshy areas for the highest chance of food. They would also be found in well-forested floodplains with an ample amount of marshy terrain.

Who did a Parvicursor live with?

The Parvicursor lived in types of habitat which contained a variety of other beasts but might not have lived in herds like often portrayed.

How long did a Parvicursor live?

No lifespan information is available about the Parvicursor remotus.

How did they reproduce?

Although there has not been an official study proving the reproductive behavior of the P. remotus, a few assumptions can be made since it belonged to the Theropoda clade. Firstly, it was oviparous and eggs were fertilized inside the body of the female via copulation. In addition, it may have built nests or burrowed into the ground, but there is no evidence of fossilized nesting sites or eggs. The visual display may have been a characteristic of their mating ritual because of the presence of feathers. They may have been sexually dimorphic, displaying their feathers to attract a mate.

What did a Parvicursor look like?

Any description is based on an incomplete Parvicursor skeleton because only hind legs and the pelvis were recovered from the Barun Goyot formation of Mongolia. Sometimes, this genus is referred to as the 'small runner' because of its incredibly tiny size, which is the smallest among all Alvarezsaurids, and its top-notch running ability. The P. remotus has only one claw each on its forelimbs, like the Mononykus. Claws are assumed to have been used to dig through insect mounds. The skull of these tiny dinosaurs had a tube-like snout which was lined with tiny teeth on the inside and may have been used similar to how current anteaters use their snouts. They also had long, slender legs, and a slim body perfectly balanced for running fast. Upon further research, some members of the Alvarezsauridae family have shown the presence of feather-like structures containing beta-keratin, which is the protein found in feathers of birds.

How many bones did a Parvicursor have?

No accurate information is present on the exact number of bones in the P. remotus as it is just described from one specimen that is made up of a pelvis and a pair of hind legs.

How did they communicate?

No information about the communication method is available on this dinosaur.

How big was a Parvicursor? 

The P. Remotus was a small dinosaur that barely grew up to a foot in length. It is the smallest of Alvarezsaurids measuring up to 15 in (39 cm). It would roughly be the size of a parrot or even smaller.

How fast could a Parvicursor move?

Studies about the exact top speed range of this dinosaur are incomplete but it is believed that these dinosaurs specialized in being quick and were quite fast.

How much did a Parvicursor weigh?

The Parvicursor was a tiny dinosaur that weighed around 0.35 lb (162 g), which is around the same as the monk parakeet.

What were the male and female names of the species?

The male and female do not have separate names and are given a common name, P. remotus.

What would you call a baby Parvicursor?

The P. remotus baby can be called a juvenile.

What did they eat? 

The structure of their claws and their place in the ecosystem along with their size suggests that these dinosaurs would use their single claw to break or dig open termite mounds like pangolins do. Others suggest that they would have used their speed and would have been nest raiders, but all of this is just speculation without evidence from the fossil of an adult specimen.

How aggressive were they?

This tiny Maniraptor had no signs of aggressive behavior. Their tiny size and their role as scavengers or insect-eaters made them more likely to run away when threatened rather than fight back, making their long, slender legs their most reliable defense mechanism.

Did you know...

The Parvicursor is closely related to the Mononykus and the Shuvuuia.

What does the name 'Parvicursor' mean?

The word Parvicursor means 'small runner'.

Is Parvicursor the smallest dinosaur?

The Parvicursor is considered to be the smallest non-avian dinosaur.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Camposaurus facts and Wuerhosaurus facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Parvicursor coloring pages.

Image one by PaleoEquii.

Image two by FunkMonk (Michael B. H.).