Open Paleo

Austroraptor

Novas et al., 2009 AW-stroh-RAP-tuhr /ˌɔːstroʊˈræptər/

From Latin auster meaning 'south' and Latin raptor meaning 'thief/plunderer'. Full meaning: 'southern thief/plunderer', referring to its South American (southern) origin.

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

Austroraptor is a genus of unenlagiine theropod dinosaur that lived during the Campanian and Maastrichtian ages of the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Argentina.

Diagnosis

  1. Lacrimal highly pneumatized with descending process strongly curved rostrally and caudal process flaring horizontally above orbit as a fan-shaped process
  2. Postorbital lacking dorsomedial process for frontal articulation, with squamosal process extremely reduced
  3. Humerus short, representing approximately 46% of femoral length — far less than in other dromaeosaurids and paravians
  4. Pedal phalanx II-2 transversely narrow, contrasting with the extremely robust phalanx IV-2, creating marked foot asymmetry unlike other dromaeosaurids
  5. Maxillary and dentary teeth small, conical-shaped, unserrated and fluted (enamel surface fluted as in spinosaurids)

Species

Austroraptor cabazai Novas et al., 2009

Type species

Named for Héctor 'Tito' Cabaza, who founded the Museo Municipal de Lamarque in Argentina where the specimen was partially studied.

Holotype
MML-195 , Museo Municipal de Lamarque
Material
Right frontal and postorbital, lacrimals, maxillae and dentaries with teeth, right surangular and prearticular, cervicals 3/5-8, dorsals 2 and 4, isolated ribs and gastralia, right humerus, manual ungual III, left pubic shaft, left femur, right tibia, astragalus, calcaneum, metatarsal III and pedal phalanges
Horizon
Allen Formation, Maastrichtian, Late Cretaceous , 72.2–66.0 million years ago
Locality
Bajo de Santa Rosa, Río Negro, Argentina

References

  1. Novas, F. E.; Pol, D.; Canale, J. I.; Porfiri, J. D.; Calvo, J. O. (2009). A bizarre Cretaceous theropod dinosaur from Patagonia and the evolution of Gondwanan dromaeosaurids. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 276(1659): 1101-1107. The Royal Society. doi:10.1098/rspb.2008.1554 novas2009a
  2. Jones, B. (2026). The Princeton Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs: Theropods. Princeton University Press.

    Source of the hip height estimate, and the appearance features.

    jones2026c