Megaraptor

Megaraptor
Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Turonian – Coniacian) 90–88 Ma
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[1]
Reconstructed hand
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Clade: †Megaraptora
Family: †Megaraptoridae
Genus: †Megaraptor
Novas 1998
Species:
†M. namunhuaiquii
Binomial name
†Megaraptor namunhuaiquii
Novas 1998

Megaraptor (lit. 'large thief') is a genus of large theropod dinosaur that lived in the ages of the Late Cretaceous.[2][3] Its fossils have been discovered in the Patagonian Portezuelo Formation of Argentina, South America. Initially thought to have been a giant dromaeosaur-like coelurosaur, it was classified as a neovenatorid allosauroid in previous phylogenies, but more recent phylogeny and discoveries of related megaraptoran genera has placed it as either a basal tyrannosauroid or a basal coelurosaur with some studies still considering it a neovenatorid.[4][5]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Juan D. Porfiri, Fernando E. Novas, Jorge O. Calvo, Federico L. Agnolín, Martín D. Ezcurra and Ignacio A. Cerda 2014 35–55 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference novas1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference calvoetal2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Rauhut, Oliver (2019). "Probable basal allosauroid from the early Middle Jurassic Cañadón Asfalto Formation of Argentina highlights phylogenetic uncertainty in tetanuran theropod dinosaurs". Sci Rep. 9 (1): 18826. Bibcode:2019NatSR...918826R. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-53672-7. PMC 6906444. PMID 31827108.
  5. ^ "Just out | A new megaraptoran theropod dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous Bajo de la Carpa Formation of northwestern Patagonia @ Cretaceous Research".