Pyroraptor

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Pyroraptor

Drawing by Jardon Mallon

Extinct (fossil)

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Class:	Sauropsida
Superorder:	Dinosauria
Order:	Saurischia
Suborder:	Theropoda
Infraorder:	Deinonychosauria
Family:	Dromaeosauridae
Subfamily:	Dromaeosaurinae
Genus:	Pyroraptor
Species:	P. olympius

Binomial name

Pyroraptor olympius
Allain & Taquet, 2000

Pyroraptor (meaning "fire thief", because its remains were discovered after a forest fire) was a small, bird like dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (76-74 million years ago). It is estimated to grow to be 2.5 metres (8 feet).

1 Discoveries
2 In Popular Culture
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Discoveries

The first and only identified member was found in the south of France, in Provence, and is known only from a few bones.

Pyroraptor was a dromaeosaur, a small, bird-like predatory theropod that possessed enlarged curved, slashing claws on the second toe of each foot. Each of these claws were 6.5cm (2.5in) long.

Fossilized teeth, foot claws, arm and back bones of this dromaeosaur were discovered in the south of France. It lived during the Cretaceous, 70 million years ago. Pyroraptor may be the same as Variraptor, also a dromaeosaur from the same area of France.

[edit] In Popular Culture

Pyroraptor was featured in one episode of Dinosaur Planet, one particular individual named "Pod" was swept onto a island by a giant wave. On that island, all the dinosaurs he knows are there, but in miniature versions. In the end, he finds a new family when he is accepted by a pack of mini troodonts.

[edit] 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 [June 27, 2000]