Name:
Santanaraptor (Greek for "Santana thief"); pronounced san-TAN-ah-RAP-tore
Habitat:
Woodlands of South America
Historical Period:
Middle Cretaceous (110 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 4 feet long and 25 pounds
Diet:
Meat
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Small size; bipedal stance; possibly feathers
About Santanaraptor:
Ever since a partial skeleton was discovered in the Santana formation in Brazil in 1996, Santanaraptor has bounced around the dinosaur classification bins. At first, this reptile was thought to be an early, South American tyrannosaur, but it has since been pegged as an earlier (i.e., slightly less evolved) theropod closely related to Coelurus and/or Ornitholestes.
The fossil specimen of Santanaraptor is also notable for what seem to be impressions of soft tissues, including skin, muscle and blood vessels; presumably, a scientific analysis of the remains will be released sometime soon.
