Megaraptor

dinosaur · predator · Late Cretaceous · claws

Massive theropod predator. Megaraptor was a large meat-eating dinosaur that belonged to a special group called theropods. It lived during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Argentina, South America.

Ancient Argentina home. Scientists found Megaraptor fossils in the Portezuelo Formation, a rock layer in Patagonia that formed between 90 and 88 million years ago. This region was very different back then, with different plants and animals everywhere.

Incomplete skeleton clues. Paleontologists discovered seven partial skeletons of Megaraptor, but only two of them included skull bones. This means scientists had to piece together what this dinosaur looked like from broken and scattered remains.

Swift hunter design. Megaraptor was built for speed and agility, with powerful claws that helped it catch prey. Its body shape and large claws made it one of the most dangerous hunters of its time and place.

Named the whole group. Megaraptor was so important that scientists named an entire family of dinosaurs after it, called Megaraptoridae. It became the type genus, meaning it represents the main example of its dinosaur family.