Utahraptor
YOO-tar-rap-tor
As you might have guessed from the name, the therapod dinosaur Utahraptor first lived in the Utah region of the western United States during the Early Cretaceous period. 5m long and weighing around 300kg, Utahraptor is one of the biggest – and slowest - genera in the dromaeosauridae family. Unable to outrun most smaller dinosaurs, this genus relies on its sickle claws and a powerful bite to ambush its prey.
Discovery
Utahraptor was discovered in 1975 by respected American paleontologist Jim Jensen during an excavation of the Dalton Wells Quarry in Utah – but it wasn’t until 1993 that the genus was formally named. James Kirkland, a prolific paleontologist also responsible for naming ten other dinosaurs, named it Utahraptor – ‘Utah thief’.
Palaeoecology
Fossil findings show that Utahraptor roamed North America approximately 125-130 million years ago. Experts are divided on the genus’ historical diet – while it is believed that it preyed mainly on smaller dinosaurs, its ability to hunt in packs means it may have fed on much larger sauropods that shared its ecosystem.
Information
- Era
- Early Cretaceous
- Family
- Dromaeosauridae
- Genus
- Utahraptor
- Height
- 1.5M
- Length
- 5M
- Weight
- 300Kg
- Diet
- Carnivore, Live Prey
- Egg batch size
- 2 - 4
