Open Paleo

Norellraptor

Wang et al., 2026

Named in honor of the American paleontologist Mark Allen Norell, with Latin 'raptor' (robber), a frequent suffix in dromaeosaurid names.

121.4–100.5 million years ago Aptian–Albian, Early Cretaceous
Early Cretaceous stages

Norellraptor is an extinct monotypic genus of dromaeosaurid that lived in East Asia during the Early Cretaceous epoch.

Diagnosis

  1. Premaxilla with the length of the prenarial part half the depth of the subnarial body.
  2. Large promaxillary fenestra occupying the whole rostral third of the antorbital fossa, with its long axis inclined 35 degrees caudodorsally.
  3. Pila promaxillaris narrower than the pila interfenestralis, both narrower than half the diameter of the maxillary fenestra.
  4. Pubis gently curved caudoventrally, with a small foot whose posterior projection is less than the diameter of the pubic shaft.

Species

Norellraptor barsboldi Wang et al., 2026

Type species

Named in honor of the Mongolian paleontologist Rinchen Barsbold.

Holotype
130108-MHGU-F4281 , Geoscience Museum, Shijiazhuang University of Economics
Material
Complete, largely articulated skeleton including the skull, vertebral column, pectoral girdle, forelimbs, pelvis and hindlimbs, with partial plumage imprints.
Horizon
Jiufotang Formation, Aptian–Albian, Early Cretaceous , 121.4–100.5 million years ago The age of the containing rock unit; no finer age has been published.
Locality
Lamadong Town, Jianchang County, Liaoning, China Found by a local farmer and donated to the museum of Hebei GEO University in 2023; the describing authors report checking the original fossil locality.

References

  1. Wang, X.; Ji, Y.; Cau, A.; Kundrát, M.; Liu, Y.; Wang, Y.; Ji, Q. (2026). Independent assembly of the flight apparatus in a non-avian dinosaur clade. Nature Communications 17(1): 10074. Springer Science and Business Media LLC. doi:10.1038/s41467-026-77804-6 wang2026b