Avimimus portentosus. Original artwork from Feathered Dinosaurs.

2006.
Watercolour and gouache on Arches paper 405 x 660 mm, unframed, signed and dated by artist.

Avimimus portentosus. Original artwork from Feathered Dinosaurs. The amazing bird mimic.

Originally described by Russian palaeontologist Sergei Kurzanov from a few bones and a partial skull found in Mongolia, Avimimus was at once thought to be so close to birds that it perhaps wasn't a dinosaur. Today it is classified within the oviraptorosaurs as one of its most primitive members. Like Inciscivosaurus it still retains some teeth on the front of its upper jaw. Avimimus grew to about 1.5 metres in length, standing about 70 centimetres high at the hips. It had a slender neck containing 14 vertebrae that lacked cavities for air-sacs, a feature seen in more bird-like dinosaurs. It had very short arms with the bones of its hand and arm fused in places, much like a modern bird. Kurzanov thought the deep groove on the forelimb bone was an attachment point for feathers. This idea has now been supported by the recent discoveries of feathered oviraptorosaur dinosaurs from China. Avimimus had long, slender legs, suggesting it was a fast runner. We can only guess that dinosaurs such as Avimimus were hunters of insects and lizards.

Artist's note: In this reconstruction, I have highlighted the potential use of the feathered forelimbs for display and was influenced by the argus and peacock pheasants of South-East Asia, which use their 'eye-spots' to capture the attention of the female, directing her eye toward the heavily ornamented head and neck. The iridescent feathering on Avimimus would have provided such a focal point.

Infraorder: Oviraptosauria
Family: Oviraptoridae
Age: Late Cretaceous (c. 75 mya)
Locality: Djadokhta Svita, south-western Mongolia (Nemegt Formation); also Inner Mongolia, China.