Tratayenia

Tratayenia was a megaraptoran, a group of theropods that had very large claws on their hands, like huge hooked knives.1

This dinosaur lived about 86 to 83 million years ago, during the Santonian stage of the Late Cretaceous.2

The only known skeleton of Tratayenia was discovered in 2006 by a technician named Diego Rosales, and the dinosaur was later named after him and the fossil site.1

Tratayenia was about 8 metres (26 feet) long, making it a medium-sized megaraptoran.1

It was the biggest meat-eating dinosaur found in the Bajo de la Carpa Formation, and scientists think it was an apex predator in its ecosystem.1

Tratayenia lived alongside many other animals, including turtles, snakes, birds like Patagopteryx, and other dinosaurs like Viavenator.1