Describer

Kirkland, Burge & Gaston, 1993

Time

Cretaceous Early Barremian

Classification

Saurischia Theropoda Tetanurae Coelurosauria Dromaeosauridae

Diet

Carnivore

Fossilsite

Cedar Mountain Formation (Dalton Wells Quarry) of central Utah, US

Length

6 meter

Info

Genus -Typespecies - Skull

Utahraptor ostrommaysorum (Kirkland, Burge & Gaston, 1993) > Utahraptor ostrommaysi (incorrect spelling) (Kirkland, Burge & Gaston, 1993)

(~12 m; ~2.7 tons) caudal vertebrae (Britt et al., 2001) Based on undescribed specimens, this estimate comes from caudals reportedly twice as long as those associated with a 565 mm femur. [M.Mortimer]

\\\\\\\"Utah\\\\\\\'s predator\\\\\\\" An unusually large dromaeosaur (twice as large as Deinonychus) found in the Cedar Mountain Formation of central Utah. There is no evidence that dromaeosaurids were particularly fast as theropods go. In fact, dromaeosaurids have shorter and stockier legs than most other theropods of the same size! Their hindlimbs seem more specialized for power than high speed.

The taxon is based on an associated disarticulated skeleton from one site and disarticulated material of one or more individuals from a second site.

Utahraptor differs from Deinonychus in having a larger size, extremely blade-like manual claws, and distinctive lachrymal that is subrectangular in dorsal view.