Atrociraptor
Atrociraptor was a small, fast meat-eating dinosaur that lived about 69 million years ago. It was a relative of the famous Velociraptor, but we only know it from a few jaw bones and teeth.1
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Fun facts
Atrociraptor was named in 2004, nine years after its fossil was found by a fossil hunter named Wayne Marshall.1
Only the front parts of its jaws and some teeth have ever been found, so scientists guess what the rest looked like from its relatives.1
Atrociraptor lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 69 million years ago, in what is now Canada.1
It belonged to the dromaeosaur group, which includes fast, feathered hunters like Velociraptor.1
Scientists have debated whether Atrociraptor was more closely related to Velociraptor or to other dromaeosaurs like Saurornitholestes.2
Most asked questions about Atrociraptor
?How big was Atrociraptor?
Atrociraptor was about 2 metres long and weighed about 15 kilograms, similar in size to Velociraptor.31
?What did Atrociraptor eat?
Atrociraptor was a carnivore, meaning it ate meat. It likely hunted smaller animals and may have attacked larger prey than other dromaeosaurs.13
?Did Atrociraptor have feathers?
Probably yes. Although no feathers have been found with Atrociraptor, all other known dromaeosaurs had feathers, so scientists think it did too.13
?When did Atrociraptor live?
Atrociraptor lived during the Late Cretaceous period, about 72 to 69 million years ago, in what is now Alberta, Canada.31
?Where was Atrociraptor found?
Its fossils were found in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation in Alberta, Canada, about 5 kilometres from the Royal Tyrrell Museum.31
?Is Atrociraptor related to Velociraptor?
Yes, Atrociraptor is a relative of Velociraptor, but scientists are not sure how closely. It may be more closely related to Saurornitholestes.31
?Why is it called Atrociraptor?
The name means 'savage robber' in Latin, and the species name marshalli honors Wayne Marshall, who found the fossil.31
?Was Atrociraptor in Jurassic World?
Yes, Atrociraptor appeared in the 2022 film Jurassic World Dominion, where it was shown as more 'brutish' than Velociraptor.3
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Atrociraptor
- Named by
- Currie and Varricchio 20044
- Group
- Raptors
- Family / clade
- Dromaeosauridae4
- Classification
- Theropoda > Dromaeosauridae4
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)4
- Rock formations
- Horseshoe Canyon4
- Countries
- Canada4
- Fossil records
- 6 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- A fossil hunter named Wayne Marshall discovered Atrociraptor's jaw fossil in 1995 in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada. Scientists Currie and Varricchio studied the remains and named the dinosaur Atrociraptor in 2004.1
- Still debated
- Because only jaw and tooth fossils have been found, scientists are not sure what the rest of Atrociraptor's body looked like.1
Where the facts come from
- Atrociraptor | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Atrociraptor (en.wikipedia.org)
- Atrociraptor in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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Velociraptor
Microraptor
Deinonychus
Asiamericana
Richardoestesia
Saurornitholestes
Tyrannosaurus
Triceratops
Spinosaurus
Ankylosaurus
Parasaurolophus
Pteranodon