Pyroraptor olympius - Saurischian Dinosaurs
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(pie-roh-rap-tore)
"fire raider"
Describer Allain & Taquet, 2000
Also Known As --
Type of Species olympius
Order Saurischia
SubOrder Theropoda
InfraOrder Coelurosauria
Micro-Order --
SuperFamily --
Family Dromaeosauridae
SubFamily --
Size 5.5 feet (1.7 meters) long
Period Late Cretaceous, 70 million years ago
Fossilsite France
Diet Carnivore
Pyroraptor lived during the Late Cretaceous Period, about 70 million years ago in what is now France. Pyroraptor was a small, bipedal theropod whose fossilized teeth, foot claws, arm and back bones were found in the south of France. It had sickle shaped claws that grew up to 2.5 inches long. Pyroraptor is one of the very few dromaeosauridae dinosaurs which have been found in Europe. It has been suggested that Pyroraptor, which was named in 2000, should belong to the same genus as the Variraptor. Variraptor was the first European "raptor".
Image Courtesy of Jordan Mallon