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Deltadromeus

Say it: del-ta-DRO-mee-us

Name means: “change runner”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosLate Cretaceous

Deltadromeus was a fast, meat-eating dinosaur with long, slender legs. It lived in North Africa during the Cretaceous period, around 95 million years ago. Its delicate limbs made it one of the speediest dinosaurs of its time.2 1

Lived

100 to 94 million years ago4

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Morocco (Kem Kem Beds), and possibly Egypt (Bahariya Formation)1

Food

Meat3 1

Length

8 to 12.2 m1

if Egyptian fossils belong to Deltadromeus

Weight

1.05 tonnes1

Height

2.44 m2

at the hips

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

How tall was it?

at the hips

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 35 big dogs

as long as 2.5 cars parked in a rowas long as 68 bananas end to endas heavy as 210 watermelonsabout as tall as a door

How big was Deltadromeus compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

Deltadromeus had extraordinarily long and delicate limbs, making it one of the fastest dinosaurs to have existed.2

Its tail vertebrae had broad, quadrangular neural spines with cavities that stored air sacs, like in modern birds.1

The only definite skeleton of Deltadromeus was found with its bones still in place (articulated), which is rare for the Kem Kem Beds.1

If fossils from Egypt belong to Deltadromeus, it would have been as long as Tyrannosaurus rex, about 12.2 metres (40 feet).1

Deltadromeus lived alongside giant predators like Spinosaurus and Carcharodontosaurus in a mangrove-filled coastal region.1

Its forelimbs were proportionately longer than those of Allosaurus, another large theropod.1

AI-made picture of Deltadromeus — An AI-made picture of how Deltadromeus might have looked, made by a computer from what scientists know. It is a guess: the real animal may have looked different, and nobody knows its true colours.

you asked

Most asked questions about Deltadromeus

?How big was Deltadromeus?

About 8 metres (26 ft) long and 1,050 kilograms (2,310 lb) based on the only definite skeleton. If some Egyptian fossils belong to it, it could have grown to about 12.2 metres (40 ft), which is shorter than a Tyrannosaurus rex.1

?What did Deltadromeus eat?

It was a meat-eating dinosaur, so it likely ate other animals. Some scientists think it might have been plant-eating or omnivorous if it was closely related to certain ceratosaurs, but that is not certain.1 3

?When did Deltadromeus live?

It lived during the mid-Cretaceous period, about 100 to 95 million years ago, in what is now Morocco and possibly Egypt.1 3

?Was Deltadromeus a dinosaur?

Yes, Deltadromeus was a theropod dinosaur, a meat-eating group that includes T. rex and birds.1 3

?How fast could Deltadromeus run?

Scientists think it was very fast because it had long, slender legs, similar to other fast-running dinosaurs. Its lower leg was 7.5% longer than average for a theropod its size, which helps with speed.1

?Where was Deltadromeus found?

The only definite skeleton was found in Morocco, in the Kem Kem Beds. Some fossils from Egypt might also belong to Deltadromeus, but that is debated.1 3

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Myth buster

Myth: Deltadromeus is the same dinosaur as Bahariasaurus.

Truth: Scientists disagree. Some think they are different genera, while others suggest the Egyptian Bahariasaurus fossils might belong to Deltadromeus. The debate continues because many original fossils were destroyed in World War II.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Deltadromeus
Named by: Sereno et al. 19964
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Noasauridae4
Classification: Theropoda > Ceratosauria4
Age of the rocks: 100 to 94 million years (Cenomanian)4
Rock formations: Baharîje, Gara Sbaa4
Countries: Egypt, Morocco, Algeria4
Fossil records: 6 in the Paleobiology Database4
Discovery: Deltadromeus was discovered in 1995 by Gabrielle Lyon during a joint expedition by the University of Chicago and the Service Géologique du Maroc. It was named and described by Paul Sereno and colleagues in 1996 based on a partial skeleton from Morocco.2 1
Still debated: Scientists still debate whether Deltadromeus belongs to the abelisauroid group or another branch of theropods, and whether some Egyptian fossils really belong to this genus.1

Where the facts come from

Deltadromeus (en.wikipedia.org)
Discoveries | Paul Sereno - Paleontologist | The University of Chicago (paulsereno.uchicago.edu)
Deltadromeus | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Deltadromeus in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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