Among the weirdest of all the dinosaurs was the strange bird-like Mononykus. It is still debated wether these bizzare creatures were reptiles, or actually a type of bird. Either way, the elusive Mononykus wasn't equipped to be a full-on predator to other dinosaurs, instead most likely hunting insects and small mammals.

Basic info

Meaning of name: Mononykus means "one claw".

Time of existence: Mononykus lived during the late Cretaceous, 83.6 million to 66 million years ago.

Diet: Mononykus was a very small animal, and thus most likely only hunted very small animals, like insects or small mammals.

Threats: Mononykus was seen as prey by many predatory dinosaurs, including Velociraptor and possibly young Tarbosaurus.

Size: Mononykus grew from 3.3 to 3.9 feet long.

Attributes: Mononykus was covered in feathers. They also had very sharp teeth used to keep a grip on their food. They also had very good hearing, and decent enough eyesight, possibly meaning they were nocturnal. However, what is easily the strangest attribute of theirs is the singular claw on each of their hands. What their function was is still unknown, though its possibly used for climbing.

A trio of Mononykus

Appearances in the Walking with... series

Chased by Dinosaurs

Mononykus appears in the brief opening of the show, where three are seen looking at Nigel Marven.

Episode 1-The Giant Claw

When Nigel Maeven sets up camp for the night while searching for Therizinosaurus, two Mononykus watch from the edge of the forest as Nigel goes into his tent. Come full darkness, one of the Mononykus wanders into Nigel's campsite, and near a jar where Nigel was keeping a scorpion in. The dinosaur sticks its head into the jar and catches the scorpion. Another Mononykus sticks its head into Nigel's tent from the bottom, and when the cameraman awakens him, Nigel swats the creature away in surprise, causing the other Mononykus to also run, sprinting straight through Nigel's campfire and putting it out. Nigel puts on a head lamp and looks out of his tent, and sees a trio of Mononykus at the edge of the forest, clearly startled by Nigel's sudden awakening. The Mononykus watched wearily as Nigel came out of his tent with a tarp, planning on catching one of them. The Mononykus immediately begin to run, with Nigel repeatedly failing to catch them. At one point, one of the Mononykus teases Nigel by standing still in front of him, before immediately running as Nigel flops on the ground. Eventually, Nigel finally catches one of the swift dinosaurs, holding it in the tarp and near the base of its jaw as the Mononykus growls. Nigel attempts to calm the dinosaur with a bag over its head, and it does somewhat succeed, as the dinosaur stands still for a bit. Nigel shows off the Mononykus' feathers, stating that this is why theropods are considered the closest relatives to birds. As the other three Mononykus watch from the forest, Nigel lets the captured animal free, and it runs into the forest. In the process, Nigel accidentally pricks his finger on its teeth. As Nigel returns to his tent, the Mononykus watch.

Nigel catches a Mononykus

The next morning, two Mononykus are still hanging around Nigel's campsite, and Nigel frustratedly tells them to go away after learning they ate his scorpion, with the two dinosaurs hopping back in fear. Later, as Nigel arrives in a scrubland, he encounters three Mononykus fleeing in terror from a Tarbosaurus. Nigel arrives at a lake to search for Therizinosaurus, where a small group of Saurolophus drink alongside two Mononykus. Although this is their last appearance, it can be assumed that they left alongside the Saurolophus when the Tarbosaurus arrives.