Name:
Adasaurus (Greek for "Ada lizard"); pronounced AY-dah-SORE-us
Habitat:
Woodlands of central Asia
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (75-65 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 5 feet long and 50-75 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Tall skull; short claws on hind feet; probable feathers
About Adasaurus:
Adasaurus (named after an evil spirit from Mongolian mythology) is one of the more obscure raptors to be unearthed in central Asia, much less well-known than its close contemporary Velociraptor. To judge by its limited fossil remains, Adasaurus had an unusually tall skull for a raptor (which doesn't necessarily mean that it was smarter than others of its kind), and the single, oversized claws on each of its hind feet were positively puny compared to those of Deinonychus or Achillobator. About the size of a large turkey, Adasaurus preyed on the smaller dinosaurs and other animals of late Cretaceous central Asia.
