Citipes

Citipes is a genus of caenagnathid oviraptorosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Alberta, Canada. Fossils belonging to this animal were originally classified under other dinosaur genera, including Ornithomimus and Chirostenotes, before a comprehensive reassessment in 2020 demonstrated that they represented a distinct genus. Measuring between one and a half and two metres in length, Citipes was a slender, long-legged animal built for swift running through coastal floodplains. As with other caenagnathids, it had an advanced beak, grasping forelimbs with curved claws, and probably a dense coating of feathers. Its jaw morphology suggests a varied diet consisting of both plant matter and small prey such as amphibians or lizards. Citipes demonstrates the remarkable taxonomic diversity of bird-like theropods in the Dinosaur Park Formation alongside formidable tyrannosaurs and horned dinosaurs.

Originally described as a species of Ornithomimus in 1933, it was recognized as a distinct caenagnathid nearly a century later.

Where and when

Citipes lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 76.9 to 74 million years ago (Campanian age). Its remains come from Canada, in the Dinosaur Park Formation.

The numbers

Length 1.9 m (estimates run from 1.5 to 2.2 m). Mass about 28 kg. Hip height about 0.8 m. That is 1.1 human-lengths, or 0.17 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from partial skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, hip height.

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