Dakotaraptor

dinosaur · raptor · late cretaceous · fierce predator

Massive raptor hunter. Dakotaraptor was one of the largest dromaeosaurs (the raptor family) ever discovered, measuring 14 to 20 feet long and weighing as much as a grand piano or small car.

Last of its kind. Dakotaraptor lived at the very end of the Cretaceous period in western North America, making it one of the last raptors before all dinosaurs went extinct.

Puzzle piece fossil. Scientists found Dakotaraptor's bones jumbled together with other dinosaurs and turtles in a special fossil site called the Hell Creek Formation, which made it tricky to figure out exactly what belonged to what.

Mystery classification. Even though Dakotaraptor looks like a dromaeosaur, scientists still disagree about exactly where it belongs on the dinosaur family tree because some of its bones seem unusual.

Hidden in private hands. The main Dakotaraptor bones are kept in a private collection instead of a museum, which makes it hard for scientists to study and learn more about this giant predator.