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Megaraptor

Say it: MEG-ah-RAP-tor

Name means: “large thief”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosLate Cretaceous

Megaraptor was a big, meat-eating dinosaur with huge claws on its hands. It lived in what is now Argentina, about 90 to 88 million years ago. Scientists once thought the big claw was on its foot, but later found out it was on its hand!1

Lived

94 to 86 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Portezuelo Formation, Neuquén, Patagonia, Argentina1 3

Food

Meat1

Length

8 m1

estimate

Weight

1 tonnes1

Height

2.35 m1

hip height estimate

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?

hip height estimate

How heavy was it?

as heavy as 33 big dogs

as long as 8 dogs nose to tailas long as 44 bananas end to endas heavy as 200 watermelonsabout as tall as a door

How big was Megaraptor compared to YOU?

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cool stuff

Fun facts

The claw on Megaraptor's first finger was 35 cm (14 inches) long, and it was probably covered in a sharp keratin sheath, making it even longer.1

Megaraptor had different kinds of teeth: small and conical at the front of its jaws, and longer, more curved teeth at the back.1

Its arms were very strong, with large muscle attachment points on the upper arm bones.1

Megaraptor lived alongside other dinosaurs like the long-necked Futalognkosaurus and the meat-eating Unenlagia.1

The first Megaraptor fossils were found in 1996 by paleontologist Fernando Novas.1

Scientists are still debating whether Megaraptor was a type of allosauroid or a close relative of tyrannosaurs.1

AI-made picture of Megaraptor — An AI-made picture of how Megaraptor 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 Megaraptor

?How big was Megaraptor?

Megaraptor was about 8 metres (26 feet) long and weighed around 1 tonne (2,200 pounds). That is about as long as a school bus and as heavy as a small car.1 2

?What did Megaraptor eat?

Megaraptor was a meat-eater, and it probably used its big hand claws to grab prey and pull it close to its mouth. It may have hunted small dinosaurs and other animals.1

?Did Megaraptor have feathers?

The sources don't say for sure, but since it's a theropod dinosaur, some related species had feathers. However, no feather fossils of Megaraptor have been found.1

?Why did Megaraptor have such big claws?

Megaraptor's huge hand claws, especially the 35 cm (14 in) claw on its first finger, were probably used to grab and hold prey. They might also have been used for slashing or defense.1

?Was Megaraptor bigger than T. rex?

No, Megaraptor was much smaller than Tyrannosaurus rex. Megaraptor was about 8 metres (26 feet) long, while T. rex could be over 12 metres (40 feet) long.1

?Could Megaraptor swim?

The sources don't mention swimming, but Megaraptor lived near rivers, so it might have been able to cross water. However, there's no direct evidence.1

?When did Megaraptor live?

Megaraptor lived about 90 to 88 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period. That is a long time before the dinosaurs went extinct.1

?Is Megaraptor a dinosaur?

Yes, Megaraptor is a dinosaur. It's a theropod, which means it's a meat-eating dinosaur that walked on two legs.1

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Myth buster

Myth: Megaraptor was a giant dromaeosaur, like a huge Velociraptor.

Truth: The big claw was first thought to be on its foot, but later fossils showed it was on its hand. Megaraptor is now considered a megaraptoran, not a dromaeosaur.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Megaraptor
Named by: Novas 19983
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Megaraptoridae3
Classification: Theropoda > Megaraptora3
Age of the rocks: 94 to 86 million years (Turonian / Coniacian)3
Rock formations: Portezuelo3
Countries: Argentina3
Fossil records: 3 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Megaraptor was named in 1998 by Argentine paleontologist Fernando Novas, based on a partial skeleton found in the Portezuelo Formation of Argentina in 1996.1 3
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Megaraptor belongs with the allosauroids or is a close cousin of the tyrannosaurs.1

Where the facts come from

Megaraptor (en.wikipedia.org)
Megaraptor- Enchanted Learning Software (enchantedlearning.com)
Megaraptor in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

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