Garudimimus

Garudimimus is an early Late Cretaceous ornithomimosaur discovered in the Bayan Shireh Formation of the Gobi Desert, Mongolia. Named after the mythical bird-like creature Garuda from Buddhist mythology, this lithe theropod was roughly four metres long and resembled a modern ostrich in general body plan. However, Garudimimus possessed several primitive features that later ornithomimids had lost. Most notably, its hind feet still carried four functional toes rather than three, and its lower leg bones were less specialised for breakneck sprinting. Its toothless jaw was capped by a keratinous beak with a rounded profile, suited for plucking vegetation, seeds, and small animals. Originally thought to possess a cranial horn, subsequent preparation revealed this feature was simply a misplaced skull bone. It is now classified within the Deinocheiridae, as a close relative of the gargantuan Deinocheirus.

Unlike later ostrich dinosaurs, it retained four toes on its hind feet and had a rounded snout tip.

Where and when

Garudimimus lived in the Late Cretaceous, from 96 to 89 million years ago (Cenomanian-Turonian age). Its remains come from Mongolia, in the Bayan Shireh Formation.

The numbers

Length 3.8 m (estimates run from 3.5 to 4 m). Mass about 89 kg. Hip height about 1.4 m. That is 2.2 human-lengths, or 0.34 of a double-decker bus. These are estimates from near-complete skeleton; fields marked estimated by the site are length, mass, first ma, last ma, hip height.

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