Variraptor
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| Variraptor Fossil range: Late Cretaceous |
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Variraptor (pronounced /ˈværɨræptɚ/ VARR-i-rap-tor; (Latin) Varus for a name of a river + (Latin) raptor meaning "thief") is a genus of theropod dinosaur named after the Var River and the Var Department in the Provence region of southern France, It was a maniraptoran theropod found in the Grès à Reptiles Formation at La Bastide Neuve, near Fox-Amphoux (Var, France) and described by Le Leouff and Buffetaut in 1998. The material was previously assigned to the dubious theropod genus Elopteryx.
Based on a posterior dorsal vertebra (MDE-D168) and a sacrum (MDE-D169) with five fused vertebrae, additional referred material includes a right humerus (MDE-D158) with a delto-pectoral crest more developed than in any other theropod known, suggesting a strong raptorial function for the forearm. Other attributed bones include a femur, and various vertebrae. The incomplete remains have dromaeosaurid features in the shape of the vertebrae and the humerus, with some resemblances to Deinonychus. An adult animal may have been slightly smaller than Deinonychus at around 2 meters (6.5 ft) long.
[edit] References
- Variraptor in The Dinosaur Encyclopaedia, at Dino Russ's Lair
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