Pyroraptor olympius
(Allain & Taquet, 2000)
Image © 2002-2003 Jordan Mallon
(First published in Dino Press magazine, volume 7)
| Species | Pyroraptor olympius |
| Etymology | "fire thief from Olympe" |
| Length | ? |
| Mass | ? |
| Time | Late Campanian-Early Maastrichtian |
| Place | France |
A relatively new discovery, Pyroraptor olympius is the first dromaeosaurid from Europe for which unambiguous remains are known (Allain & Taquet, 2000). Assigned material includes parts of the foot (including the raptorial claw), forearm, and teeth. Although the described material is barely enough for comparative use with other, better known dromaeosaurids, P. olympius may have been closer to Saurornitholestes langstoni than to Deinonychus antirrhopus, based on the curvature of the claw from digit II (Allain & Taquet, 2000).
References:
Allain, R., and P. Taquet. 2000. A new genus of Dromaeosauridae (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Upper Cretaceous of France. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 20: 404-407.
[ About Me | Paleoart Gallery | Interviews | Book Reviews | Thanks | Guestbook | Links ]