Atrociraptor ( Latin , literally - the wild robber [1] ) is a genus of dinosaurs from the dromaeosaurid family that lived during the Cretaceous period (Upper Maastricht , 70.6–66.0 Ma ago [2] ) in the territory of the modern province of Alberta ( Canada )
| † Atrociraptor |
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Fossil specimen |
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| {{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{| 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1 }} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 1}} | 4}} : | Eukaryotes |
| No rank : | Bilateral symmetrical |
| Infraclass : | Archosauromorphs |
| No rank : | Archosauriformes |
| Group : | † Maniraptoriformes |
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Atrociraptor Currie & Varricchio, 2004 |
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† Atrociraptor marshalli
Currie & Varricchio, 2004 |
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Wayne Marshall discovered the typical and only specimen holotype RTMP 95.166.1 in 1995, in the layers of the Formation, also containing fossils of the Albertosaurus . Fossil deposits are located in the upper part of the 4th block of the formation [3] , which dates back to 68.5 million years ago [4] . The holotype consists of fragments of the jaws (both premaxillary bones , the right upper jaw , both halves of the lower jaw ), teeth and numerous small fragments. The skull was unusually short and tall. The teeth are relatively straight, but come out of the hole at an angle to the jaw line, as a result of which they look very inclined. A number of scattered teeth (previously assigned to Saurornitholestes ) were also extracted in the Horschu formation [5] ; these fossils were recognized by the unusually large teeth of Atrociraptor .
Appearance of
AtrociraptorIn 2004, Philip Curry and David Varricchio named and described the type species Atrociraptor marshalli . The generic name comes from lat. atrox is the savage, and raptor is the robber. The species name is given in honor of the discoverer of the find Wayne Marshall [1] .
In 2010, Gregory S. Paul estimated the length of the animal at 2 meters and weight at 15 kilograms [6] . Atrociraptor differs from Bambiraptor and other dromaeosaurids in its teeth (the teeth were of different lengths but of the same shape) and have a short and blunt muzzle. One of the windows of the skull, the maxillary opening, was relatively large, and located directly above the other window, the premaxillary opening, which is unknown in other species.
Researchers assigned Atrociraptor to the Velociraptorin subfamily within the dromaeosaurid family. However, in 2009, Curry published a cladistic analysis showing Atrociraptor as a representative of the subfamily Saurornitholestinae [7] .
