In Depth
The name Orkoraptor is derived from ‘Orr-Korr’ the Aoniken name for the La Leona River of Argentina.When first described, Orkoraptor was thought to be a coelurosaur thus a possible tyrannosauroid. However later studies have since caused this notion to be dismissed as Orkoraptor seems to actually be a form of late surviving allosaurid, possibly a megaraptoran.
It’s possible that the geographic isolation of South America from the rest of the world during the Cretaceous may have protected the lineage that led to Orkoraptor from other newly appearing forms. This is also reflected in the fact that Orkoraptor is one of the southernmost carnivorous dinosaurs that have been discovered in South America. Unless future fossil finds prove otherwise, Orkoraptor may have been restricted to the south due to the abundance of carcharodontid and abelisaurid theropods further north.
Further Reading
– Orkoraptor burkei nov. gen. et sp., a large theropod from the Maasdtrichtian Pari Aike Formation, southern Patagonia, Argentina. – Cretaceous Research 29(3):468-480. – F. E. Novas, M. D. Ezcurra & A. Lecuona – 2008.
