In Depth
First discovered in 1973, Arkansaurus was due to be formally named in 1977, tragically however the papers author Dr. James H. Quinn was killed in a fall while searching for fossils. Because the paper was not formally published, the name Arkansaurus was technically not valid. The name Arkansaurus however was not unknown and even got printed in popular science. Arkansaurus was even named the state dinosaur of Arkansas in 2017, and in 2018 a paper formally describing the genus was published.
As a dinosaur, Arkansaurus was an ornithomimosaur. At the time of writing Arkansaurus is known only from a single partially preserved foot. The claws of the foot have strong curves, something that makes Arkansaurus stand out from other ornithomimosaurs that usually have flat claws. Many relative genera of ornithomimosaurs have been confirmed to have been feathered. By association it is likely that Arkansaurus would have had a feather covering, but the extent and placement is unknown.
Further Reading
- A new ornithomimosaur from the Lower Cretaceous Trinity Group of Arkansas. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 38(1):e1421209:1-12. - R. K. Hunt & J. H. Quinn - 2018.
