Open Paleo

Megaraptora

Benson et al., 2010 Type genus Megaraptor

Its genera lived 137.1–66.0 million years ago Early Cretaceous–Late Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous and Late Cretaceous stages

Megaraptora is a clade of medium-to-large carnivorous theropod dinosaurs from the Cretaceous. They were most diverse in the early Late Cretaceous of South America, particularly Patagonia, but ranged widely, with basal members also known from Thailand, Japan, and Australia. Megaraptorans are distinguished by their powerfully built forelimbs, which were tipped with enormous, strongly curved claws on the first two fingers rather than being reduced as in most other large theropods. Their skeletons were heavily pneumatized, riddled with air pockets, and their slender legs and long foot bones suggest they were fast-running hunters. The clade contains the derived family Megaraptoridae, united by specialized adaptations of the arm and claws, together with more basal forms such as Fukuiraptor and Phuwiangvenator. Their broader relationships have long been disputed: once classified among the allosauroids, megaraptorans are now most often recovered within Coelurosauria, close to the tyrannosauroids.

Under dispute

The higher-level position of Megaraptora is debated, though the debate has narrowed. It was originally named among allosauroid theropods, as a clade within Neovenatoridae (Carcharodontosauria) by Benson, Carrano and Brusatte (2010), a placement also recovered by Carrano and colleagues (2012). More recent analyses, however, recover Megaraptora within Coelurosauria: the dedicated megaraptoran studies of Aranciaga Rolando and colleagues (2022) and Ibiricu and colleagues (2025) find it to be the sister group of Tyrannosauroidea, the allosauroid-focused analysis of Kellermann and colleagues (2025) likewise recovers megaraptorans as coelurosaurs, and the broad predatory-dinosaur framework of Cau (2024) places Megaraptora within Tyrannosauroidea. The coelurosaurian placement is now the prevailing view and is followed; the allosauroid hypothesis is treated as the older, minority alternative.

Diagnosis

  1. Greatly enlarged, transversely compressed and strongly recurved manual ungual on digit I
  2. Elongate and gracile forelimb with a robust first metacarpal
  3. Extensive postcranial pneumaticity of the vertebrae
  4. Long, shallow-snouted skull with small, blade-like teeth

Clades within Megaraptora

Genera placed directly in Megaraptora

  • Aoniraptor Motta et al., 2016 Cenomanian–Turonian (100.5–89.8 Ma)Argentina
  • Fukuiraptor Azuma & Currie, 2000 Aptian (121.4–113.2 Ma)Japanincertae sedisunder dispute
  • Invictibellatrix Morrison et al., 2026 Barremian (125.8–121.4 Ma)United Kingdom
  • Phuwiangvenator Samathi et al., 2019 Valanginian–Hauterivian (137.1–125.8 Ma)Thailand
  • Rapator Nomen dubium Huene, 1932 Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)Australiaincertae sedisunder dispute
  • Siats Zanno & Makovicky, 2013 Cenomanian (100.5–93.9 Ma)United Statesincertae sedisunder dispute
  • Vayuraptor Samathi et al., 2019 Valanginian–Hauterivian (137.1–125.8 Ma)Thailand

References

  1. Carrano, M. T.; Benson, R. B. J.; Sampson, S. D. (2012). The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda). Journal of Systematic Palaeontology 10(2): 211-300. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.630927

    Recovered Megaraptora within Neovenatoridae (Carcharodontosauria) in its Tetanurae phylogeny.

    carrano2012a
  2. Ibiricu, L. M.; Lamanna, M. C.; Álvarez, B. N.; Cerda, I. A.; Caglianone, J. L.; Cardozo, N. V.; Luna, M.; Martínez, R. D. (2025). Latest Cretaceous megaraptorid theropod dinosaur sheds light on megaraptoran evolution and palaeobiology. Nature Communications 16(1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41467-025-63793-5

    Dedicated megaraptorid study recovering Megaraptora within Coelurosauria near Tyrannosauroidea.

    ibiricu2025a
  3. Kellermann, M.; Cuesta, E.; Rauhut, O. W. M. (2025). Re-evaluation of the Bahariya Formation carcharodontosaurid (Dinosauria: Theropoda) and its implications for allosauroid phylogeny. PLOS ONE 20(1): e0311096. Public Library of Science (PLoS). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0311096

    Carcharodontosaurid re-evaluation's allosauroid-focused analysis recovers megaraptorans as coelurosaurs.

    kellermann2025a
  4. Benson, R. B. J.; Carrano, M. T.; Brusatte, S. L. (2010). A new clade of archaic large-bodied predatory dinosaurs (Theropoda: Allosauroidea) that survived to the latest Mesozoic. Naturwissenschaften 97(1): 71-78. doi:10.1007/s00114-009-0614-x

    Named Megaraptora as a clade within Neovenatoridae, placing it among allosauroid theropods

    benson2010d
  5. Aranciaga Rolando, A. M.; Motta, M. J.; Agnolín, F. L.; Manabe, M.; Tsuihiji, T.; Novas, F. E. (2022). A large Megaraptoridae (Theropoda: Coelurosauria) from Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Patagonia, Argentina. Scientific Reports 12(1). Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-09272-z

    Recovered Megaraptora within Coelurosauria as the sister group of Tyrannosauroidea.

    aranciagarolando2022a
  6. Cau, A. (2024). A Unified Framework for Predatory Dinosaur Macroevolution. Bollettino della Società Paleontologica Italiana 63(1): 1-19. doi:10.4435/BSPI.2024.08

    Recovered Megaraptora within Tyrannosauroidea; no support values are reported for the placement.

    cau2024a
  7. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.

    Reflects the allosauroid placement of Megaraptora in its classification boxes.

    jones2026c