Pyroraptor
Pyroraptor was a small, fast meat-eater that lived in what is now France and Spain. Its name means 'fire thief' because its bones were found after a big forest fire. Scientists think it looked a lot like Velociraptor.1
When did it live?
Fun facts
Pyroraptor lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 84 to 71 million years ago.1
Only a handful of small bones and teeth have been found, so scientists have to guess what the whole animal looked like.1
Another European dromaeosaur called Variraptor was found in the same place in France. Some experts think they might be the same dinosaur.1
Pyroraptor probably went extinct before the big meteorite hit Earth 66 million years ago.1
Most asked questions about Pyroraptor
?How big was Pyroraptor?
It is hard to know because so few fossils have been found. It might have been about the same size as Velociraptor, or smaller.1
?Did Pyroraptor have feathers?
Yes, scientists think Pyroraptor was covered in feathers, just like many of its relatives such as Microraptor and Sinornithosaurus.2
?What did Pyroraptor eat?
Pyroraptor was a meat-eater. It had sharp, pointed teeth and a curved claw on each foot for catching and eating other animals.1
?When did Pyroraptor live?
Pyroraptor lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 84 to 71 million years ago. It probably died out before the big meteorite hit 66 million years ago.1
?Where was Pyroraptor found?
Its fossils were discovered in southern France, in Provence, after a forest fire in 1992. Some teeth from Spain might also belong to it.2
?Is Pyroraptor a dinosaur?
Yes, Pyroraptor is a dinosaur. It is a small theropod dinosaur called a dromaeosaurid.1
?How fast could Pyroraptor run?
Nobody knows for sure, but because it was a small, bird-like dinosaur that walked on two legs, it was probably fast. No exact speed has been estimated from the fossils.1
?Was Pyroraptor bigger than Velociraptor?
Probably not. Pyroraptor might have been about the same size as Velociraptor, or even smaller. Both had a similar-sized curved toe claw.1
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For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Pyroraptor
- Named by
- Allain and Taquet 20003
- Group
- Raptors
- Family / clade
- Dromaeosauridae3
- Classification
- Theropoda > Dromaeosauridae3
- Age of the rocks
- 84 to 66 million years (Campanian / Maastrichtian)3
- Rock formations
- La Posa, Vitoria3
- Countries
- Spain, France3
- Fossil records
- 3 in the Paleobiology Database3
- Discovery
- Pyroraptor was named by scientists Allain and Taquet in 2000. Its fossils were first found after a destructive forest fire in Provence, France.13
- Still debated
- Scientists are not sure exactly how big Pyroraptor was or how closely it was related to Velociraptor, because so few fossils have been found.1
Where the facts come from
- Pyroraptor | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
- Pyroraptor (en.wikipedia.org)
- Pyroraptor in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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