Atrociraptor
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Extinct (fossil)
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| Atrociraptor marshalli Currie and Varricchio, 2004 |
Atrociraptor ("cruel thief") was a dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Upper Maastrichtian) of Alberta, Canada. The type (and only) specimen was discovered in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, near Drumheller, Alberta; it consists of parts of the upper and lower jaws and teeth. The skull appears to have been unusually short and tall. The teeth are relatively straight, but they emerge from the tooth sockets at an angle, resulting in a strongly raked row of teeth. A number of isolated teeth (previously referred to Saurornitholestes) have also been recovered from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Ryan et al. 1998); they can be recognized by their unusually large serrations.
Atrociraptor was about the size of a Bambiraptor. Atrociraptor is different from Bambiraptor and other velociraptorians via its isodont dentition and short deep snout. Atrociraptor is most closely related to Deinonychus, based on the large number of derived characters in both genera.
[edit] References
- Currie, P. J. and D. J. Varicchio (2004). A new dromaeosaurid from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation (Upper Cretaceous) of Alberta, Canada. Feathered Dragons. P. J. Currie, E. B. Koppelhus, M. A. Shugar and J. L. Wright. Indianapolis, Indiana University Press: 112-132.
- Ryan, M. J., P. J. Currie, et al. (1998). "Baby hadrosaurid material associated with an unusually high abundance of Troodon teeth from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Upper Cretaceous, Alberta, Canada." Gaia 16: 123-133.
