Editing Alvarezsauridae (section)

==Lifestyle==
The lifestyle of alvarezsaurids has been debated since the nature of these dinosaurs was established. It has been suggested by numerous palaeontologists that they used their claws to break into ant and termite colonies, though the arm anatomy of an alvarezsaurid would require the animal to lie on its chest against a termite nest. It is also possible that the alvarezsaurids filled some ecological niche that has not yet been considered.<ref name=Holtz>{{cite book |last=Holtz |first=Thomas R. Jr. |year=2007 |title=Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages |chapter=Ornithomimosaurs and Alvarezsaurs |publisher=Random House Children's Books |isbn=978-0-375-82419-7 |chapter-url-access=registration |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/dinosaursmostcom00holt }}</ref> Studies of the tails in various alvarezsaur genera also suggest they were possessed of an incredible ability to change their rotational inertia, and combined with their forelimbs, this suggests their ecological niches were similar to those of aardvarks, pangolins, and anteaters.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Meso |first1=J.G. |last2=Qin |first2=Z. |last3=Pittman |first3=M. |last4=Canale |first4=J.I. |last5=Salgado |first5=L. |last6=Díez Díaz |first6=V. |title=Tail anatomy of the Alvarezsauria (Theropoda, Coelurosauria), and its functional and behavioural implications |journal=Cretaceous Research |date=March 2021 |volume=124 |pages=104830 |doi=10.1016/j.cretres.2021.104830 |s2cid=233858300 }}</ref>

Additionally, it is known that alvarezsaurids, with their long legs, appear to be built for speed. What implications this has on possible lifestyle is unknown.<ref name=Holtz/> The discovery of ''[[Qiupanykus]]'' in association with [[oviraptorid]] eggs, indicates that the advanced alvarezsaurids may also have been specialists in nest raiding, using their robust thumb claws to crack open eggshells.<ref name=lu>{{cite journal |last1=Lü |first1=Jun-chang |last2=Xu |first2=Li |last3=Chang |first3=Hua-li |last4=Jia |first4=Song-hai |last5=Zhang |first5=Ji-ming |last6=Gao |first6=Dian-song |last7=Zhang |first7=Yi-yang |last8=Zhang |first8=Cheng-jun |last9=Ding |first9=Fang |title=A new alvarezsaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous Qiupa Formation of Luanchuan, Henan Province, central China |journal=China Geology |date=2018 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=28–35 |doi=10.31035/cg2018005 |doi-access=free }}</ref>