Open Paleo

Apatoraptor

Funston & Currie, 2016 ah-PAY-toh-RAP-tuhr

From Greek 'apate' meaning 'deception' and Latin 'raptor' meaning 'thief'; meaning 'deceptive thief'

72.2–66.0 million years ago Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous
Late Cretaceous stages

Apatoraptor is a genus of caenagnathid dinosaur which contains a single species, A. pennatus. The only known specimen was discovered in the Campanian-aged Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta.

Diagnosis

  1. Ventral flange of angular underlying the posteroventral ramus of the dentary
  2. Anterior constriction of external mandibular fenestra by posteroventral ramus of the dentary
  3. Medial fossa anterior to articular region of mandible
  4. Articular region of mandible with low articular ridge offset from dorsal margin of articular-surangular-coronoid complex
  5. Metacarpal I less than half as long as metacarpal II
  6. Manual phalanx I-1 longest phalanx of hand; manual phalanx II-1 longer than II-2

Species

Apatoraptor pennatus Funston & Currie, 2016

Type species

From Latin 'pennatus' meaning 'feathered', referring to the discovery of quill knobs on the ulna showing the animal had wings.

Holotype
TMP 1993.051.0001 , Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology
Material
Articulated partial skeleton: right palatine, nearly complete left and fragmentary right mandibles, left and fragmentary right ceratobranchials, axis and complete postaxial cervical series, complete dorsal series, partial left and complete right pectoral girdle, right sternal plate, right forelimb, partial right ilium, partial right femur, partial right tibia, and partial right fibula.
Horizon
Horsethief Member, Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous , 72.2–66.0 million years ago
Locality
3 km west of the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology, Alberta, Canada

References

  1. Funston, G. F.; Currie, P. J. (2016). A new caenagnathid (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada, and a reevaluation of the relationships of Caenagnathidae. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36(4): e1160910. Informa UK Limited. doi:10.1080/02724634.2016.1160910 funston2016a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the body length, mass, and hip height estimates, and the appearance features.

    jones2026c