Describer

Novas, Ezcurra, Lecuona 2008

Time

Cretaceous Late Maastrichtian

Classification

Saurischia Theropoda Tetanurae Coelurosauria

Diet

Carnivore

Fossilsite

Pari Aike Formation ,Los Hornos Hill, southern coast of Viedma Lake (49º 50´ 44.2´´ S, 72º 6´ 21.9´´ W), SW Santa Cruz Province, Argentina

Info

Genus - Typespecies - skull

Holotype

MPM-Pv 3457, the specimen is represented by a right postorbital, a right quadratojugal, probable coronoid of the right side, eight isolated teeth, atlantal intercentrum and its right neurapophysis, two proximal caudal vertebrae, proximal half of right tibia, eight fragmentary ribs, and three incomplete chevrons. All of these bones were excavated from a single spot of 1.5 meters in diameter, in February of 2001.

Referred specimens

MPM-Pv 3458, three well-preserved shed teeth, collected from the same beds as the holotype.

Etymology

Orr-Korr (“Toothed River”), name applied by Aoniken Patagonian native people to the La Leona River, which runs not far from the fossil site; and raptor, “thief” in Latin.

Diagnosis

Orkoraptor burkei is a large theropod differing from other tetanurans in the following combination of characters: teeth with unserrated and transversely wide mesial margins; teeth with a median depression flanked by two longitudinal and narrow furrows on the lingual surface (autapomorphy); postorbital with a wide jugal process, and an orbital margin that is obtuse and devoid of a suborbital flange; quadratojugal with a short jugal process; proximal caudal vertebrae with small pleurocoels (convergently aquired with Megaraptor namunhuaiquii, Carcharodontosauridae , and Oviraptorosauria). (Novas, F.E., Ezcurra, M.D., Lecuona, A. 2008)