Patagonykus

Patagonykus (meaning "Patagonian claw") is a genus of theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Argentina. This alvarezsaur was discovered in exposures of the Portezuelo Formation (Turonian-Coniacian) of the Rio Neuquén Subgroup in the Neuquén Basin, Neuquen Province of Patagonia, Argentina. The holotype consists of an incomplete but well-preserved skeleton, lacking a skull, but including many vertebrae, the coracoids, a partial forelimb, pelvic girdle, and hindlimbs. "Patagonykus" has been classed with the Alvarezsauridae, a family which includes such taxa as the Mongolian "Mononykus" and the Argentinian "Alvarezsaurus". In 2010 Gregory S. Paul estimated its length at 1 meter (3.3 ft) and its weight at 3.5 kg (7.7 lbs), while in 2016 Molina-Pérez and Larramendi gave a larger size of 2.8 meters (9.2 ft) and 30 kg (66 lbs).