In Depth Smaller velociraptorine dromaeosaurs seem to have been one of the most important types of dinosaur in Asia during the Late Cretaceous as evidenced by the ever growing number of remains and genera. Linheraptor was similar in form to most others such as Velociraptor and it may have lived and hunted in pretty much … Read more
In Depth Just thirty years before its description, the concept of dinosaurs evolving into birds was still a very controversial theory that did not have universally wide acceptance in academic circles. However, since the opening of fossil beds in China, new discoveries have slowly but steadily been made, each one adding more and more weight … Read more
In Depth Xixiasaurus is a troodont genus thought to possibly be closely related to Byronosaurus and Urbacodon. Part of this reasoning is that the teeth of Xixiasaurus lacked serrations. Care should be taken not to confuse Xixiasaurus with the alvarezsaur genus Xixianykus that is also known from the same formation as Xixiasaurus. Further Reading - … Read more
In Depth Initially thought to be a juvenile Megaraptor, Unenlagia was found to not only be a separate species but one that would challenge the notions for the origins of flight. Unenlagia fits into the Unenlagiinae group, which is also considered by some to be the rightful home of the dromaeosaur Rahonavis. If correct, that … Read more
In Depth Named in 2007, Mahakala has been widely accepted as one of the most primitive formed dromaeosaurids so far discovered. Key to this idea is the observation that the third metatarsal is not compressed, whereas in more advanced dromaeosaurids and troodonts it is. However another fact to consider is that Mahakala lived during the … Read more
In Depth Originally thought to be another specimen of Velociraptor, a CAT scan in 1998 revealed that the fossil was of a new though closely related genus. Additional study of Tsaagan has indicated that it is most closely related to Linheraptor. Tsaagan probably lived and hunted like most other small Asian dromaeosaurids, hunting either other … Read more