Rahonavis

Rahonavis Temporal range: Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) 72.1–66 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Reconstructed skeleton, Royal Ontario Museum
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Clade:	Dinosauria
Clade:	Saurischia
Clade:	Theropoda
Clade:	Paraves
Genus:	†Rahonavis Forster et al., 1998b
Type species
†Rahonavis ostromi (Forster et al., 1998a) Forster et al., 1998b
Synonyms
Rahona Forster et al. 1998 non Griveaud 1975 Rahona ostromi Forster et al. 1998a

Rahonavis is a genus of bird-like theropod from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian, from about 72.1 to 66 mya) of what is now northwestern Madagascar. It is known from a partial skeleton (UA 8656) found by Catherine Forster and colleagues in Maevarano Formation rocks at a quarry near Berivotra, Mahajanga Province.^[1] Rahonavis was a small predator, at about 70 centimetres (2.3 ft) long and 0.45-2.27 kg (1-5 lbs),^[2] with the typical dromaesaurid-like raised sickle claw on the second toe. It was originally the first African coelurosaur until the discovery of Nqwebasaurus in 2000.^[3]

The name Rahonavis means, approximately, "cloud menace bird", from Malagasy rahona (RA-hoo-na, "cloud" or "menace") + Latin avis "bird". The specific name, R. ostromi, was coined in honor of John Ostrom.