#mexidracon

[knuppitalism-with-ue]

Results from this small #paleostream!

Grossaspis and Mexidracon

[adamworks]

Day 7: Mexidracon longimanus

[alphynix]

Mexidracon longimanus was an ornithomimid dinosaur that lived during the late Cretaceous, about 72 million years ago, in what is now northern Mexico.

It was a fairly small ornithomimid at around 2.5-3m long (~8-10'), and its leg proportions suggest it was less specialized for fast running than some of its other relatives. But its most unique feature was its hands, with extremely elongated metacarpal bones – giving it palms that were longer than its upper arm!

It's unclear what the function of these unusual limbs was. Possibly they gave Mexidracon extra reach to hook its claws onto foliage and pull it within reach of its head, in a similar manner to ground sloths, chalicotheres, and therizinosaurs.

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NixIllustration.com | Tumblr | Patreon

References:

Nicholles, E. L. "Structure and function of the pectoral girdle and forelimb of Struthiomimus altus (Theropoda: Ornithomimidae)." Palaeontology 28 (1985): 619-628. https://www.palass.org/publications/palaeontology-journal/archive/28/4/article_pp643-677

Serrano-Brañas, Claudia Inés, et al. "A long-handed new ornithomimid dinosaur from the Campanian (Upper Cretaceous) Cerro del Pueblo Formation, Coahuila, Mexico." Cretaceous Research (2025): 106087. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2025.106087

Wikipedia contributors. “Mexidracon” Wikipedia, 05 Apr. 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexidracon

Yirka, Bob. "New genus and species within Ornithomimidae dinosaur family identified in Mexico" Phys.org, 03 Feb. 2025, https://phys.org/news/2025-02-genus-species-ornithomimidae-dinosaur-family.html

[floofwyvern]

I started this long ago but only recently finished it... I had to draw fan art of the new dinosaur!

This is Mexidracon longimanus, discovered in Mexico and named last year!

[totaldino]

Mexidracon

Mexidracon is a relatively small ornithomimid theropod dinosaur at approximately 2.5 m in length. Typical of ornithomimids, it was likely covered in feathers, and had a long neck and legs. Mexidracon is notable for its extremely lengthened metacarpals, or hand bones, not seen in other ornithomimids.

[rascalmonsta]

my side of an art trade with my friend @/Shrymptid

[daily-mspaint-paleoart]

07/02/25 Mexidracon

[justgoji]

Pulled an all-nighter on these things