Name:
Condorraptor (Greek for "condor thief"); pronounced CON-doe-rap-tore
Habitat:
Woodlands of South America
Historical Period:
Middle Jurassic (175 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 15 feet long and 400 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Bipedal stance; medium size
About Condorraptor:
Its name--Greek for "condor thief"--may be the best-understood thing about Condorraptor, which was initially diagnosed based on a single tibia (leg bone) until a near-complete skeleton was unearthed a couple of years later. This "small" (only about 400 pound) theropod dates to the middle Jurassic period, about 175 million years ago, a relatively obscure time in dinosaur history--so further examination of Condorraptor's remains should shed some much-needed light on the evolution of large theropods. (By the way, despite its name, Condorraptor wasn't a true raptor like the much later Deinonychus or Velociraptor.)
