Unenlagia
Unenlagia was a feathered, bird-like dinosaur from Argentina. It could not fly, but its arms folded like a bird's wings. This raptor was one of the closest dinosaur relatives of modern birds.1
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Fun facts
Unenlagia had very long arms for a raptor and could lift them high, like a bird flapping its wings.1
Its hip and shoulder bones were shaped almost exactly like those of early birds such as Archaeopteryx.1
Unlike many other raptors, Unenlagia did not have a large sickle claw on its foot.4
Scientists disagree on whether Unenlagia was a dromaeosaurid or belongs to its own family, Unenlagiidae.2
The only fossils found so far are from a single individual: parts of the backbone, shoulder, hips and legs.4
It lived about 90 million years ago, which is later than many other bird-like dinosaurs.2
Most asked questions about Unenlagia
?How big was Unenlagia?
Scientists disagree because only the leg length is well known. Estimates range from about 2 m (6.6 ft) to 3.5 m (11.5 ft) long, and weights from about 9 kg (20 lb) to 95 kg (209 lb).3
?Could Unenlagia fly?
No, Unenlagia could not fly, but its arms folded like a bird's wings and it could lift them high, like a bird flapping.31
?Was Unenlagia a dinosaur?
Yes, Unenlagia was a theropod dinosaur, a type of raptor that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous.3
?What did Unenlagia eat?
The sources do not say exactly what Unenlagia ate, but as a raptor it likely ate meat, like other dromaeosaurs.3
?When did Unenlagia live?
Unenlagia lived about 90 million years ago, during the Late Cretaceous period, in what is now Argentina.3
?Did Unenlagia have feathers?
Yes, Unenlagia was a feathered, bird-like dinosaur, as stated on the page.3
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Myth buster
Myth: Unenlagia is often called a 'bird dinosaur' that could fly.
Truth: It could not fly, but its arms were built like a bird's and it may have used them for balance while running.1
For dino experts
- Scientific name
- Unenlagia
- Named by
- Novas and Puerta 19974
- Group
- Raptors
- Family / clade
- Dromaeosauridae4
- Classification
- Theropoda > Dromaeosauridae4
- Age of the rocks
- 94 to 86 million years (Turonian / Coniacian)4
- Rock formations
- Portezuelo4
- Countries
- Argentina4
- Fossil records
- 2 in the Paleobiology Database4
- Discovery
- Unenlagia was named in 1997 by paleontologists Fernando Novas and Pablo Puerta. The first fossils were found in the Portezuelo Formation of Argentina.4
- Still debated
- Paleontologists are still debating whether Unenlagia is a dromaeosaurid or part of a separate family called Unenlagiidae.2
Where the facts come from
- New evidence concerning avian origins from the Late Cretaceous of Patagonia | Nature (web.archive.org)
- PBDB Taxon (paleobiodb.org)
- Unenlagia (en.wikipedia.org)
- Unenlagia in The Paleobiology Database (CC BY 4.0): age, places, rock formations, classification.
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