Open Paleo

Boreonykus

Bell & Currie, 2015 boh-ree-o-NY-kus

From Greek 'boreos' meaning 'northern' and 'nykus' or 'onyx' meaning 'claw', referring to its discovery in northern Canada.

83.6–72.2 million years ago Campanian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Boreonykus is an extinct genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur, that lived during the Late Cretaceous in the area of present Canada.

Under dispute

The subfamily placement of Boreonykus is unresolved. It was described as a velociraptorine (Bell and Currie, 2015) and Jones (2026) treats it as a possible velociraptorine, whereas Currie and Evans (2019) recovered it within Dromaeosaurinae. Known from fragmentary cranial material, it is placed at Eudromaeosauria incertae sedis.

Diagnosis

  1. Supratemporal ridge on frontals forming an acute angle (55°) anteriorly — single autapomorphy
  2. Frontal elongate and slender with a low supratemporal ridge forming an arc concave relative to interfrontal suture in dorsal view
  3. Area immediately posterior to supratemporal ridge smooth and posteroventrally sloping

Species

Boreonykus certekorum Bell & Currie, 2015

Type species

References the Certek company, which works in the oil industry and provided financial support for the excavations that recovered the holotype.

Holotype
TMP 1989.055.0047 , Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology
Material
Right frontal
Horizon
Wapiti Formation, Campanian, Late Cretaceous , 83.6–72.2 million years ago
Locality
Pipestone Creek, Alberta, Canada

References

  1. Bell, P. R.; Currie, P. J. (2015). A high-latitude dromaeosaurid,Boreonykus certekorum, gen. et sp. nov. (Theropoda), from the upper Campanian Wapiti Formation, west-central Alberta. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36(1): e1034359. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1080/02724634.2015.1034359 bell2015a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length estimate.

    jones2026c
  3. Currie, P. J.; Evans, D. C. (2019). Cranial Anatomy of New Specimens of Saurornitholestes langstoni (Dinosauria, Theropoda, Dromaeosauridae) from the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) of Alberta. The Anatomical Record 303(4): 691-715. Wiley. doi:10.1002/ar.24241

    Recovered Boreonykus within Dromaeosaurinae.

    currie2019a