Name:
Ozraptor (Greek for "lizard from Oz"): pronounced OZ-rap-tore
Habitat:
Woodlands of Australia
Historical Period:
Middle Jurassic (175 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 9 feet long and 100 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small size; bipedal stance
About Ozraptor:
Sometimes, a single leg bone can be enough to shed light on a creature that lived 175 million years ago. That's the case with Ozraptor, the partial tibia of which was first identified as belonging to a Jurassic turtle, and then reassigned to a new (and relatively early) genus of theropod closely related to the South American Abelisaurus. Until more fossils are found, though, that's all we may ever know about this distinctively named dinosaur.
