Dino card No. 1869 of 2,027

Utahraptor

Say it: YOO-tah-RAP-tor

Name means: “Utah plunderer”1

Ate: MeatRaptorsEarly Cretaceous

Utahraptor was a huge, feathered hunter that lived in what is now Utah, USA. It was the biggest member of the raptor family, much larger than the Velociraptor you see in movies. With a giant sickle claw on each foot, it was a fierce predator that could take down big plant-eaters.1 2

Lived

137 to 133 million years ago5

Early Cretaceous

Fossils found in

Dalton Wells Quarry and Gaston Quarry near Moab, Grand County, Utah, USA2

Length

5.5 to 6.1 m (18 to 20 ft)1 2

estimates vary

Weight

350 kg (772 lb)1

Height

1.5 m (4.9 ft)2

at the hips

Top speed

about 45 km/h (28 mph)

Running, estimate

What did Utahraptor eat?

Utahraptor was a carnivore that ate other animals, including large plant-eating dinosaurs like iguanodonts and ankylosaurs.

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 18 dogs

as long as 6 dogs nose to tailas long as 34 bananas end to endas heavy as 70 watermelonsas heavy as 18 kindergarten kidsas heavy as 11 school kidscould run 100 metres in 8 seconds (the fastest human needs 9.6)

How big was Utahraptor compared to YOU?

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

How fast was it?

A person walking about 5 km/h (3 mph)

A kid on a bike about 12 km/h (7 mph)

Utahraptor about 45 km/h (28 mph)

A galloping horse about 65 km/h (40 mph)

A cheetah about 100 km/h (62 mph)

cool stuff

Fun facts

Utahraptor's sickle claw was 24 centimeters (9.5 inches) long, perfect for slashing at prey.2

It lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 139 to 135 million years ago, making it one of the oldest known dromaeosaurs.1 2

Utahraptor was the inspiration for the Velociraptors in the movie Jurassic Park, even though real Velociraptor was much smaller.2

In 2018, Utahraptor became the official state dinosaur of Utah after a 10-year-old student asked the state senate.1

Scientists think Utahraptor was not very fast and may have ambushed its prey, using its bulk and claws.1

Although no direct fossils of feathers have been found, scientists believe Utahraptor almost certainly had feathers, like other dromaeosaurs.1

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

?How big was Utahraptor?

Utahraptor was about 6 to 7 metres (20 to 23 feet) long and weighed around 500 kilograms (1,100 pounds), about the size of a polar bear.3 1

?Did Utahraptor have feathers?

Yes, scientists believe Utahraptor almost certainly had feathers, because other dromaeosaurs had them, even though no direct feather fossils have been found yet.3 1

?What did Utahraptor eat?

Utahraptor was a carnivore that ate other animals, including large plant-eating dinosaurs like iguanodonts and ankylosaurs.3 1

?How fast could Utahraptor run?

Utahraptor was not very fast. It was an ambush hunter that used its bulk and claws to surprise prey, not speed.3 1

?Was Utahraptor bigger than Velociraptor?

Yes, Utahraptor was much bigger than Velociraptor. It was the largest known member of the raptor family, while Velociraptor was only about the size of a turkey.3 1

?When did Utahraptor live?

Utahraptor lived during the Early Cretaceous period, about 139 to 135 million years ago.3 1

?Where was Utahraptor found?

All known Utahraptor fossils come from Utah in the United States, especially from the Cedar Mountain Formation near Arches National Park.3 1

?How long was Utahraptor's claw?

Utahraptor's sickle claw on its second toe was about 24 centimetres (9.4 inches) long.3 1

?Did Utahraptor hunt in packs?

Scientists think Utahraptor may have been social and hunted in groups, because fossils of several individuals of different ages have been found together.3 4

?Is Utahraptor the state dinosaur of Utah?

Yes, Utahraptor became the official state dinosaur of Utah in 2018 after a 10-year-old student petitioned the state senate.3 1

Ask Rex about Utahraptor

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Myth buster

Myth: Utahraptor was a fast runner like smaller raptors.

Truth: Utahraptor was heavy and bulky, and scientists think it was not very fast. It probably used ambush hunting instead of chasing prey.1

For dino experts

Scientific name: Utahraptor
Named by: Kirkland et al. 19935
Group: Raptors
Family / clade: Dromaeosauridae5
Classification: Theropoda > Dromaeosauridae5
Age of the rocks: 137 to 133 million years (Valanginian)5
Rock formations: Cedar Mountain5
Countries: USA5
Fossil records: 4 in the Paleobiology Database5
Discovery: The first Utahraptor fossils were found by Jim Jensen in 1975, but the dinosaur was not studied until 1991 when James Kirkland, Robert Gaston and Donald Burge found more remains. It was named in 1993.1
Still debated: Scientists are not sure if Utahraptor had feathers, because no direct feather fossils have been found, but most think it did.1

Where the facts come from

Utahraptor | Natural History Museum (nhm.ac.uk)
Utahraptor ostrommaysorum (nhmu.utah.edu)
Utahraptor (en.wikipedia.org)
Utahraptor Megablock Fossil Project - Utah Geological Survey (geology.utah.gov)
Utahraptor 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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