Pamparaptor

Say it: PAM-pa-rap-tor

Name means: “thief of the Pampas”1

Ate: MeatMeat-eating dinosLate Cretaceous

Pamparaptor was a tiny, fast meat-eating dinosaur that lived in what is now Argentina. It had a big claw on its foot that it used to catch prey, just like its bigger cousin Velociraptor.1

Lived

94 to 86 million years ago3

Late Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Baal Quarry, Lago Barreales, Neuquén province, Argentina3 1

Food

Meat3

Length

0.5 to 0.7 m2 1

estimate based on foot size; some scientists suggest up to 1.15 m

When did it live?

Triassic

Jurassic

Cretaceous

252 million years ago20114566, the asteroid

How big was it?

How long was it?

as long as 4 bananas end to end

How big was Pamparaptor compared to YOU?

Just maths in your browser. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.

cool stuff

Fun facts

Pamparaptor is one of the smallest meat-eating dinosaurs from Patagonia, only about as long as a cat.2

Its name means 'thief of the Pampas', after the grassy plains of Argentina where it was found.1

The only fossil found is a complete left foot, including the famous 'killing claw' that dromaeosaurs used to slash prey.1

Scientists first thought Pamparaptor was a baby of another dinosaur called Neuquenraptor, but later decided it was its own species.1

Pamparaptor lived about 93 to 85 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.3

Its foot bones are very slender and the third and fourth metatarsals are almost the same length, which is unusual for dromaeosaurs.1

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

?How big was Pamparaptor?

Pamparaptor was very small, about 0.5 to 0.7 metres long, which is roughly the size of a cat. One later estimate gave a length of about 1.15 metres and a weight of 2.6 kilograms.1 2

?What did Pamparaptor eat?

Pamparaptor was a meat-eater. It used the big 'killing claw' on its foot to slash and catch prey, just like its cousin Velociraptor.1

?Is Pamparaptor a dinosaur?

Yes, Pamparaptor is a dinosaur. It is a small meat-eating theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of Argentina.1

?When did Pamparaptor live?

Pamparaptor lived about 93 to 85 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period.1

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For dino experts

Scientific name: Pamparaptor
Named by: Porfiri et al. 20113
Group: Meat-eating dinos
Family / clade: Deinonychosauria3
Classification: Theropoda3
Age of the rocks: 94 to 86 million years (Turonian / Coniacian)3
Rock formations: Portezuelo3
Countries: Argentina3
Fossil records: 1 in the Paleobiology Database3
Discovery: Pamparaptor was discovered in 2005 by technician Diego Rosales at the Baal Quarry in Argentina. It was named in 2011 by Juan Porfiri, Jorge Calvo, and Domenica Dos Santos.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure whether Pamparaptor belongs to the dromaeosaur family or the troodontid family, because its foot looks like both groups.1

Where the facts come from

Pamparaptor (en.wikipedia.org)
A new small deinonychosaur (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Late Cretaceous of Patagônia, Argentina - PubMed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)
Pamparaptor in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.

Every fact on this page has a number that points to its source. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are dino fans, not a science journal. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.

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