Utahraptor

Last updated

Utahraptor
Temporal range: Early Cretaceous (BerriasianValanginian), 139–134.6  Ma
O
S
D
C
P
T
J
K
Pg
N
BYU Utahraptor skeletal mount.jpg
Reconstructed skeleton in BYU Museum of Paleontology
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Clade: Dinosauria
Clade: Saurischia
Clade: Theropoda
Family: Dromaeosauridae
Clade: Eudromaeosauria
Subfamily: Dromaeosaurinae
Genus: Utahraptor
Kirkland, Gaston & Burge, 1993
Type species
Utahraptor ostrommaysi
Kirkland et al., 1993

Utahraptor (meaning "Utah's predator") is a genus of large dromaeosaurid (a group of feathered carnivorous theropods) dinosaur that lived during the Early Cretaceous period from around 135 to 130 million years ago in what is now the United States. The genus was described in 1993 by American paleontologist James Kirkland and colleagues with the type species Utahraptor ostrommaysi, based on fossils that had been unearthed earlier from the Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah. Later, many additional specimens were described including those from the skull and postcranium in addition to those of younger individuals.

Contents

The genus contains a single species, Utahraptor ostrommaysi. It is the largest-known member of the family Dromaeosauridae, measuring about 6–7 metres (20–23 ft) long and typically weighing less than 500 kilograms (1,100 lb). As a heavily built, ground-dwelling, bipedal carnivore, its large size and variety of unique features have earned it attention in both pop culture and the scientific community. The jaws of Utahraptor were lined with small, serrated teeth that were used in conjunction with a large "killing claw" on its second toe to dispatch its prey. Its skull was boxy and elongated, akin to other dromaeosaurids like Dromaeosaurus and Velociraptor .

Utahraptor is in the subfamily Dromaeosaurinae, which contained the biggest of the dromaeosaurs in the form of Utahraptor as well as Austroraptor , Dakotaraptor and Achillobator . Being a carnivore, Utahraptor was adapted to hunt the other animals of the Cedar Mountain Formation ecosystem such as ankylosaurs and iguanodonts. Evidence from the leg physiology supports the idea of Utahraptor being an ambush predator, in contrast to other dromaeosaurs that were pursuit predators.

Discovery and naming

Premaxilla of BYU 7510 14585 Utahraptor premaxilla BYU.jpg
Premaxilla of BYU 7510 14585

The first specimens of Utahraptor were found in 1975 by Jim Jensen in the Dalton Wells Quarry of Utah, near the town of Moab, but did not receive much attention. After a find of a large claw by Carl Limone in October 1991, James Kirkland, Robert Gaston and Donald Burge uncovered further remains of Utahraptor in 1991 in the Gaston Quarry in Grand County, Utah, within the Yellow Cat and Poison Strip members of the Cedar Mountain Formation. The holotype of Utahraptor, CEUM 184v.86, consists of a second pedal ungual, with potentially assigned elements from other specimens: pedal ungual CEUM 184v.294, tibia CEUM 184v.260 and premaxilla CEUM 184v.400. [1] The holotype is housed in the paleontology collections of the Prehistoric Museum at Utah State University Eastern. Brigham Young University, the depository of Jensen's finds, currently houses the largest collection of Utahraptor fossils.

The type species, Utahraptor ostrommaysi, was named by Kirkland, Gaston and Burge in June 1993. The genus name Utahraptor is in reference to Utah, where the remains were found. The specific name, ostrommaysi, is in honor to John Ostrom for his investigations on Deinonychus and its relationships to birds, as well as Chris Mays, who helped in the research of Utahraptor by founding Dinamation. [1] From his description, Kirkland stated the meaning of genus name to be "Utah's predator," [1] but the Latin word raptor translates to 'robber' or 'plunderer', not 'predator'. [2] Earlier, it had been intended to name the species "U. spielbergi" after film director Steven Spielberg, in exchange for him funding paleontological research, but no agreement could be reached on the amount of financial assistance. [3]

Pedal ungual II of CEUM 184v.294, housed at the Prehistoric Museum, USU Eastern. Utahraptor ungual BYU.jpg
Pedal ungual II of CEUM 184v.294, housed at the Prehistoric Museum, USU Eastern.

In 2000, the specific name was emended by George Olshevsky to the plural genitive ostrommaysorum. [4] However, Thiago Vernaschi V. Costa and Normand David in 2019 criticized the use of the species name U. ostrommaysorum, since it has no clear justification or explanation. Although this spelling has been largely used by other authors, the genus Utahraptor was originally coined with the type species U. ostrommaysi and, given that the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature offers no provision for forming a genitive form from two persons with different names, Costa and David conclude that the original spelling ostrommaysi has to be regarded as an arbitrary combination of letters and not a correctly formed genitive form. Under this reasoning, ostrommaysorum has no valid use and the original spelling ostrommaysi does not need to be emended. Other alternative and also invalid spellings were used in scientific literature, such as ostromaysi, ostromaysorum, ostromayssorum, ostromayorum and ostrommaysori. [5]

Some elements were wrongly referred to the genus. The lacrimal bone of the specimen CEUM 184v.83 turned out to be a postorbital from the ankylosaur Gastonia . Britt et al. also suggested that the previously identified manual unguals of the specimens M184v.294, BYU 9438 and BYU 13068 are indeed pedal unguals. [6] This suggestion was confirmed by Senter in 2007. [7]

Description

Utahraptor Restoration.png
Restoration
Utahraptor size.png
Utahraptor specimens compared in size to a 1.8-metre-tall (5.9 ft) human

Utahraptor was one of, if not the largest and heaviest of all dromaeosaurids, with the largest assigned specimen BYUVP 15465 having a femoral length of 56.5–60 cm (22.2–23.6 in). [8] [9]

Utahraptor is estimated to have reached 6–7 metres (20–23 ft) in length and somewhat less than 500 kg (1,100 lb), comparable in weight to a polar bear. [1] [10] [11] Some authors estimated that it weighed up to 250–350 kg (550–770 lb). [12] [13] [14] In 2024, the body mass of BYUVP 2536 and BYUVP 1833 were estimated around 391 and 481 kilograms (862 and 1,060 lb) respectively, though BYUVP 7510-18078 was estimated to have weighed 777 kilograms (1,713 lb). [15]

Although feathers have never been found in association with Utahraptor specimens, there is strong phylogenetic evidence suggesting that all dromaeosaurids had them. The feathered genus Microraptor is one of the oldest-known dromaeosaurids and is phylo­genetically more primitive than Utahraptor. [16] Since Microraptor and other dromaeosaurids possessed feathers, it is reasonable to assume that this trait was present in all of Dromaeosauridae. Feathers were very unlikely to have evolved more than once, so assuming that any given dromaeosaurid, such as Utahraptor, lacked feathers would require positive evidence that they did not have them. [17] So far, there is nothing to suggest that feathers were lost in larger, more derived species of dromaeosaurs. [18] The presence of quill knobs in Dakotaraptor evidenced that even larger dromaeosaurids had feathers. [19]

Reconstructed skull, BYU BYU Utahraptor skull.jpg
Reconstructed skull, BYU

According to Kirkland et al. in 1993, Utahraptor can be recognized by a few special autapomorphies. The claws on its hand are more specialized as cutting blades than in other dromaeosaurids. It has a lacrimal bone with distinctly parallel mesial and outer sides that gives it an elongate subrectangular appearance in top view and it has a base of the nasal opening on the premaxilla parallel to the premaxillary tooth row. [1] In the revised diagnosis conducted by Turner et al. in 2012, Utahraptor differs from other dromaeosaurids in having an elongate nasal process of the premaxilla, a distal end of metatarsal III that is smooth, not ginglymoid, an L-shaped quadratojugal without a posterior process, the presence of a well-developed notch between the lesser trochanter and greater trochanter, and dorsal vertebrae that lack pleurocoels. [20] Like other dromaeosaurids, Utahraptor had a large curved claw on the second toe of each foot. The second pedal ungual is preserved with a 22 cm (8.7 in) outside curve length and is estimated to reach 24 cm (9.4 in) in restoration. [1]

Classification

Utahraptor is a member of the family Dromaeosauridae, a clade of theropod dinosaurs commonly known as "raptors". Utahraptor is the largest known genus in the family and belongs to the same clade of other notable dinosaurs such as Velociraptor , Deinonychus , or Dromaeosaurus . It is classified in the subfamily Dromaeosaurinae, which is found in the clade Eudromaeosauria. [1]

In 2015, Utahraptor was found to be closely related to the smaller Dromaeosaurus and the giant Mongolian and North American dromaeosaurid genera Achillobator and Dakotaraptor : [19]

Size of Utahraptor (5) compared with other dromaeosaurs Dromaeosaurs.png
Size of Utahraptor (5) compared with other dromaeosaurs
Eudromaeosauria

The cladogram below is the result of a cladistic analysis conducted by Cau et al. in 2017. [21]

Eudromaeosauria

Paleobiology

Predatory behavior

Cast of the foot bones, Dinosaur Museum Aathal Utahraptor ostrommaysorum.JPG
Cast of the foot bones, Dinosaur Museum Aathal

Kirkland et al. noted that given the huge size of Utahraptor, it was not as fast as Deinonychus and Velociraptor; instead, it would have had a similar speed to the contemporary iguanodonts, and was faster than sauropods. Additionally, the thickness of the tibia indicates that the animal possessed a significant leg force in order to kill prey. It was also suggested that lighter dromaeosaurids such as Velociraptor and Deinonychus relied on their hand claws to handle prey and retain balance while kicking it; in contrast to this, the heavily built Utahraptor may have been able to deliver kicks without the risk of losing balance, freeing the hands and using them to dispatch prey. [1]

According to Gregory S. Paul, Utahraptor was not particularly fast and would have been an ambush hunter that preyed on large dinosaurs such as the contemporary iguanodonts and therizinosaurs. Its robust build and large sickle claw indicate it was well suited to hunting such prey. Like other dromaeosaurine dromaeosaurids, it may have also relied heavily on its jaws to dispatch prey—more so than other types of dromaeosaurids, such as velociraptorines. [22]

Social behavior

In 2001, Kirkland et al. pursued a graduate student's discovery of a bone protruding from a 9-ton fossil block of sandstone in eastern Utah. It was determined to contain the bones of at least seven individuals, including an adult measuring about 4.8 m (16 ft), four juveniles, and a hatchling about 1 m (3.3 ft) long. Also fossilized with the Utahraptor pack are the remains of at least one possible iguanodont. Kirkland speculated that the Utahraptor pack attempted to scavenge carrion or attack helpless prey mired in quicksand, and were themselves mired in the attempt to feed on the herbivore. Similar sites such as the Cleveland-Lloyd Quarry and California's La Brea Tar Pits house such predator traps. Examination of the fossils are ongoing after a decade of excavation, but if Kirkland is correct, it may be one of the best-preserved predator traps ever discovered. The fossils may further reveal aspects into the behavior of Utahraptor, such as whether it might have hunted in groups like Deinonychus was believed to have done. Whether all the Utahraptor individuals were mired simultaneously or were drawn in, one-by-one is unclear. [23] Further examination of the block suggests that the number of Utahraptor remains may be double the amount previously assumed. [24]

While dinosaur behavior can only be theorized, it was later discovered in 2020 that Deinonychus may not have practiced mammal-like pack hunting, based on differing dietary preferences in adults and juveniles. Despite this, the authors stated that gregariousness was still possible for Deinonychus and the discovery of Utahraptor in the mud-trap implies it exhibited a degree of post nestling care and gregariousness. [25]

Paleoenvironment

Utahraptor lived in the lower part of the Cedar Mountain Formation, a bed known as the Yellow Cat Member. According to the authors of its description, Utahraptor had an important ecological role as a major carnivore of the paleofauna of the present-day Arches region during the Early Cretaceous, and could probably attack prey larger than itself. Group hunting of individuals of at least 3.5 m (11 ft) and 70 kg (150 lb), if proven, could have killed 8 m (26 ft) prey of a weight of 1 to 2 t (0.98 to 2.0 long tons; 1.1 to 2.2 short tons). Additionally, sauropods ranging around 20 m (66 ft) may have been an important part of its diet. [1] The paleontologist Thomas R. Holtz estimated that Utahraptor existed between 130 million and 125 million years ago. [26] In multiple occasions, the Yellow Cat Member has been dated to Barremian-Aptian ages. Sames and Schudack (2010) proposed a reassignment of the estimated age, compromising Berriasian to Valanginian stages; however, this interpretation was not followed by most authors. [27] Using advanced methods of radiometric and palynological dating, Joeckel et al. (2019) concluded that the Yellow Cat Member is indeed older than previous estimations. The deposition occurred between 139 ± 1.3 million to 134.6 ± 1.7 million years ago, or, Berriasian to Late Valanginian stages. Based on the presence of new palynoflora, Middle Berriasian–Early Hauterivian ages were provisionally assigned. [28] However, the Yellow Cat Member is divided into distinct "lower" and "upper" layers, and Utahraptor fossils are only currently known within the upper Yellow Cat Member. [29]

Utahraptor (red, right) and other dinosaur fauna from the Cedar Mountain Formation Cedar Mountain Formation Yellow Cat Fauna.png
Utahraptor (red, right) and other dinosaur fauna from the Cedar Mountain Formation

Utahraptor was unearthed from the Yellow Cat Member, which during the Berriasian to Late Valanginian was a semiarid area with floodplain prairies, riverine forests, and open woodlands predominated by conifers (Pinophyta), ferns (Polypodiopsida), hornworts (Anthocerotophyta) and other vascular plants. [28] During the description of Mierasaurus , it was interpreted that there was also a waterlogged bog-like environment. [30] There is believed to have been a short wet season. This is supported by the presence of charred spores and other carbonized plant debris in the pollen maceral that indicate the occurrence of ancient wildfires ignited during periods of low precipitation. [22] [28]

Paleofauna that were contemporaneous with the dromaeosaurid in the upper Yellow Cat Member included numerous dinosaurs, such as the medium-sized iguanodonts Hippodraco and Cedrorestes , the smaller theropods Martharaptor and Nedcolbertia , the nodosaurid Gastonia , and the sauropods Cedarosaurus and Moabosaurus . [30] [29] [31] The only known mammal from the Upper Yellow Cat Member is Cifelliodon . [32]

Other non-dinosaur or avian taxa known from the Member include the fish Ceratodus and Semionotus , the turtles Glyptops and Trinitichelys , Aquatilavipes (fossilized bird tracks), the rhynchocephalian Toxolophosaurus , and the indeterminate remains of hybodontid and polyacrodontid sharks. [29]

Additional paleofauna was recovered, most of it being unnamed and/or indeterminate, including an isolated mesoeucrocodylian skull that measures 20 cm (7.9 in) in length. [29] A neochoristodere unearthed from the Upper Yellow Cat Member, represented by a partial left femur, [33] shows that aquatic paleofauna was present and diverse during the Early Cretaceous of the Cedar Mountain Formation. [29] A large sail-backed iguanodont represented by large vertebrae and fragmentary remains, [34] and an indeterminate eudromaeosaur known from a caudal vertebra and fragmented tail (UMNH VP 20209) were also present. [35]

Cultural significance

Raptor Red was published in 1995, and features the fictionalized story of a female Utahraptor. Written by paleontologist Robert T. Bakker, it was positively regarded by mainstream reviewers, though updates to the science have rendered some of the story line facts presented untrue and the paleontology community was critical of fossil record inaccuracies. [36] [37] Bakker's anthropomorphosis of the titular Red was particularly praised. [38] [39] [40]

In 2018, it was proposed by a 10-year-old elementary school student, Kenyon Roberts, that Utahraptor be the Utah state dinosaur, an act that was approved by the Senate. [41] Initially Utahraptor would have replaced another dinosaur, Allosaurus , as the state's official fossil, but it was decided that Utahraptor would be another symbol of the state. [42] In 2021, Steve Eliason [43] [44] successfully created a proposal for Utahraptor State Park where the block was discovered, proposed by the same Utah student, Kenyon Roberts. It was approved by the state House. [45]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Velociraptor</i> Dromaeosaurid dinosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous

Velociraptor is a genus of small dromaeosaurid dinosaurs that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous epoch, about 75 million to 71 million years ago. Two species are currently recognized, although others have been assigned in the past. The type species is V. mongoliensis, named and described in 1924. Fossils of this species have been discovered in the Djadochta Formation, Mongolia. A second species, V. osmolskae, was named in 2008 for skull material from the Bayan Mandahu Formation, China.

<i>Deinonychus</i> Genus of theropod dinosaur

Deinonychus is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur with one described species, Deinonychus antirrhopus. This species, which could grow up to 3.4 meters (11 ft) long, lived during the early Cretaceous Period, about 115–108 million years ago. Fossils have been recovered from the U.S. states of Montana, Utah, Wyoming, and Oklahoma, in rocks of the Cloverly Formation and Antlers Formation, though teeth that may belong to Deinonychus have been found much farther east in Maryland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dromaeosauridae</span> Family of theropod dinosaurs

Dromaeosauridae is a family of feathered coelurosaurian theropod dinosaurs. They were generally small to medium-sized feathered carnivores that flourished in the Cretaceous Period. The name Dromaeosauridae means 'running lizards', from Greek δρομαῖος (dromaîos), meaning 'running at full speed', 'swift', and σαῦρος (saûros), meaning 'lizard'. In informal usage, they are often called raptors, a term popularized by the film Jurassic Park; several genera include the term "raptor" directly in their name, and popular culture has come to emphasize their bird-like appearance and speculated bird-like behavior.

<i>Dromaeosaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Dromaeosaurus is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period, sometime between 80 and 69 million years ago, in Alberta, Canada and the western United States. The type species is Dromaeosaurus albertensis, which was described by William Diller Matthew and Barnum Brown in 1922. Its fossils were unearthed in the Hell Creek Formation, Horseshoe Canyon Formation and Dinosaur Park Formation. Teeth attributed to this genus have been found in the Prince Creek Formation. Dromaeosaurus is the type genus of both Dromaeosauridae and Dromaeosaurinae, which include many genera with similar characteristics to Dromaeosaurus such as possibly its closest relative Dakotaraptor. Dromaeosaurus was heavily built, more so than other dromaeosaurs that are similar in size, like Velociraptor.

<i>Sinornithosaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Sinornithosaurus is a genus of feathered dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the early Cretaceous Period of the Yixian Formation in what is now China. It was the fifth non–avian feathered dinosaur genus discovered by 1999. The original specimen was collected from the Sihetun locality of western Liaoning. It was found in the Jianshangou beds of the Yixian Formation, dated to 124.5 million years ago. Additional specimens have been found in the younger Dawangzhangzi bed, dating to around 122 million years ago.

<i>Saurornitholestes</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Saurornitholestes is a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous of Canada (Alberta) and the United States.

<i>Atrociraptor</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Atrociraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous in what is now Alberta, Canada. The first specimen, a partial skull, was discovered in 1995 by the fossil collector Wayne Marshall in the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, about 5 km (3 mi) from the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology where it was brought for preparation. In 2004, the specimen became the holotype of the new genus and species Atrociraptor marshalli; the generic name is Latin for "savage robber", and the specific name refers to Marshall. The holotype consists of the premaxillae, a maxilla, the dentaries, associated teeth, and other skull fragments. Isolated teeth from the same formation have since been assigned to Atrociraptor.

<i>Bambiraptor</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Bambiraptor is a Late Cretaceous, 72-million-year-old, bird-like dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur described by scientists at the University of Kansas, Yale University, and the University of New Orleans.

<i>Buitreraptor</i> Dromaeosaurid dinosaur genus from the Late Cretaceous

Buitreraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaurs that lived during the Late Cretaceous of Argentina at the Candeleros Formation. Buitreraptor was described in 2005 and the type species is Buitreraptor gonzalezorum. It was rooster-sized and had a very elongated head with many small teeth.

<i>Adasaurus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Adasaurus is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period about 70 million years ago. The genus is known from two partial specimens found in the Nemegt Formation of Mongolia that were partially described in 1983 by the paleontologist Rinchen Barsbold.

<i>Achillobator</i> Extinct dromaeosaurid genus from the Late Cretaceous

Achillobator is a genus of large dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived during the Late Cretaceous period about 96 million to 89 million years ago in what is now the Bayan Shireh Formation of Mongolia. The genus is currently monotypic, only including the type species A. giganticus. The first remains were found in 1989 during a Mongolian-Russian field expedition and later described in 1999. Remains at the type locality of Achillobator may represent additional specimens. It represents the first and largest dromaeosaurid known from the Bayan Shireh Formation.

<i>Shanag</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Shanag is a genus of paravian theropod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Period of Mongolia. It may be a dromaeosaurid, but some researchers are skeptical of this classification. The type species is S. ashile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eudromaeosauria</span> Extinct clade of dinosaurs

Eudromaeosauria is a subgroup of terrestrial dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs. They were small to large-sized predators that flourished during the Cretaceous Period. Eudromaeosaur fossils are known almost exclusively from the northern hemisphere.

<i>Hippodraco</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Hippodraco is a genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah, United States. The genus contains a single species, H. scutodens, known from a partial skeleton belonging to an immature individual.

<i>Iguanacolossus</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Iguanacolossus is a genus of iguanodontian ornithopod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous period. It is known from UMNH VP 20205, the associated holotype with a large partial skeleton of a single individual.

<i>Geminiraptor</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Geminiraptor is a genus of troodontid theropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous period. Geminiraptor was a small, ground-dwelling bipedal carnivorous paravian. The type species of Geminiraptor is G. suarezarum.

<i>Yurgovuchia</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Yurgovuchia is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaurs that lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous period in what is now the Cedar Mountain Formation. It contains a single species, Yurgovuchia doellingi. The remains were discovered in Utah, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of dromaeosaurid research</span>

This timeline of dromaeosaurid research is a chronological listing of events in the history of paleontology focused on the dromaeosaurids, a group of sickle-clawed, bird-like theropod dinosaurs including animals like Velociraptor. Since the Native Americans of Montana used the sediments of the Cloverly Formation to produce pigments, they may have encountered remains of the dromaeosaurid Deinonychus hundreds of years before these fossils came to the attention of formally trained scientists.

<i>Dakotaraptor</i> Extinct chimaeric genus of dinosaurs

Dakotaraptor is a chimaeric genus of maniraptoriform theropod dinosaur that lived in western North America during the Late Cretaceous period. The remains have been found in the Maastrichtian-aged Hell Creek Formation, dated to the very end of the Mesozoic era, making Dakotaraptor potentially one of the last surviving dromaeosaurids, though other researchers have disputed its classification. The remains of D. steini were discovered in a multi-species bonebed. Elements of the holotype and referred specimens were later found to belong to trionychid turtles, and it is unclear whether further analysis of potential non-dromaeosaurid affinities of the holotype and referred material can be properly conducted, because currently the type specimen is housed in private collection. Phylogenetic analyses of D. steini place it in a variety of positions within Dromaeosauridae.

<i>Dineobellator</i> Extinct genus of dinosaurs

Dineobellator is a genus of dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Late Cretaceous period 68 million years ago. The remains have been found in the Maastrichtian stage of the Naashoibito Member at the Ojo Alamo Formation, New Mexico.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Kirkland, J. I.; Burge, D.; Gaston, R. (1993). "A large dromaeosaurid (Theropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of Eastern Utah". Hunteria. 2 (10): 1–16.
  2. "raptŏr - ONLINE LATIN DICTIONARY". Online Latin Dictionary.
  3. Adams, Brooke (June 15, 1993). "Director Loses Utahraptor Name Game". Deseret News. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016.
  4. Olshevsky, G., 2000, An annotated checklist of dinosaur species by continent. Mesozoic Meanderings3: 1-157
  5. Costa, T. V. V.; David, N. (2019). "Commentaries on different uses of the specific epithet of the large dromaeosaurid Utahraptor Kirkland et al., 1993 (Dinosauria, Theropoda)" . The Bulletin of Zoological Nomenclature. 76 (1): 90−96. doi:10.21805/bzn.v76.a028. S2CID   166691677.
  6. Britt, B. B.; Chure, D. J.; Stadtman, K. L.; Madsen, J. H.; Scheetz, R. D.; Burge, D. L. (2001). "New osteological data and the affinities of Utahraptor from the Cedar Mountain Fm. (Early Cretaceous) of Utah". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 21 (3): 36A.
  7. Senter, P. (2007). "A method for distinguishing dromaeosaurid manual unguals from pedal "sickle claws"". Bulletin of the Gunma Museum of Natural History (11): 1–6. ISSN   1342-4092.
  8. Erickson, G. M.; Rauhut, O. W. M.; Zhou, Z.; Turner, A. H.; Inouye, B. D.; Hu, D.; Norell, M. A. (2009). "Was Dinosaurian Physiology Inherited by Birds? Reconciling Slow Growth in Archaeopteryx". PLOS ONE. 4 (10): e7390. Bibcode:2009PLoSO...4.7390E. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0007390 . PMC   2756958 . PMID   19816582.
  9. Sues, Hans-Dieter; Averianov, Alexander; Britt, Brooks B. (December 22, 2022). "A giant dromaeosaurid theropod from the Upper Cretaceous (Turonian) Bissekty Formation of Uzbekistan and the status of Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis". Geological Magazine. 160 (2): 355–360. doi:10.1017/S0016756822000954. ISSN   0016-7568.
  10. Chiappe, Luis M. (2007). Glorified Dinosaurs: The Origin and Early Evolution of Birds. Wiley-Liss. p. 32. ISBN   9780471247234.
  11. Martin, Damien; Currie, Philip J.; Kundrát, Martin (2023). "Variability of bone microstructure and growth lines in the evolution of troodontids and dromaeosaurids". Acta Zoologica. 105 (2): 135–175. doi:10.1111/azo.12467. S2CID   258655244.
  12. Benson, R. B. J.; Hunt, G.; Carrano, M.T.; Campione, N.; Mannion, P. (2018). "Cope's rule and the adaptive landscape of dinosaur body size evolution". Palaeontology. 61 (1): 13–48. Bibcode:2018Palgy..61...13B. doi: 10.1111/pala.12329 .
  13. Benson, Roger B. J.; Campione, Nicolás E.; Carrano, Matthew T.; Mannion, Philip D.; Sullivan, Corwin; Upchurch, Paul; Evans, David C. (May 6, 2014). "Rates of Dinosaur Body Mass Evolution Indicate 170 Million Years of Sustained Ecological Innovation on the Avian Stem Lineage". PLOS Biology. 12 (5): e1001853. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001853 . ISSN   1545-7885. PMC   4011683 . PMID   24802911. Supporting Information
  14. Turner, A.H.; Pol, D.; Clarke, J.A.; Erickson, G.M.; Norell, M.A. (2007). "A Basal Dromaeosaurid and Size Evolution Preceding Avian Flight" (PDF). Science. 317 (5843): 1378−1381. Bibcode:2007Sci...317.1378T. doi: 10.1126/science.1144066 . PMID   17823350. Supporting Online Material
  15. Pintore, R.; Hutchinson, J. R.; Bishop, P. J.; Tsai, H. P.; Houssaye, A. (2024). "The evolution of femoral morphology in giant non-avian theropod dinosaurs". Paleobiology. 50 (2): 308–329. Bibcode:2024Pbio...50..308P. doi: 10.1017/pab.2024.6 . PMC   7616063 . PMID   38846629.
  16. Xu, X.; Zhou, Z.; Wang, X.; Kuang, X.; Zhang, F.; Du, X. (2003). "Four-winged dinosaurs from China" (PDF). Nature. 421 (6921): 335–340. Bibcode:2003Natur.421..335X. doi:10.1038/nature01342. PMID   12540892. S2CID   1160118.
  17. Prum, R.; Brush, A.H. (2002). "The evolutionary origin and diversification of feathers". The Quarterly Review of Biology. 77 (3): 261–295. doi:10.1086/341993. PMID   12365352. S2CID   6344830.
  18. Turner, AH; Makovicky, PJ; Norell, MA (2007). "Feather quill knobs in the dinosaur Velociraptor" (PDF). Science. 317 (5845): 1721. Bibcode:2007Sci...317.1721T. doi: 10.1126/science.1145076 . PMID   17885130.
  19. 1 2 DePalma, Robert A.; Burnham, David A.; Martin, Larry D.; Larson, Peter L.; Bakker, Robert T. (October 30, 2015). "The first giant raptor (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae) from the Hell Creek Formation". Paleontological Contributions. doi: 10.17161/paleo.1808.18764 . hdl: 1808/18764 .
  20. Turner, A. H.; Makovicky, P. J.; Norell, M. A. (2012). "A Review of Dromaeosaurid Systematics and Paravian Phylogeny". Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History. 371 (371): 1–206. doi:10.1206/748.1. hdl:2246/6352. S2CID   83572446.
  21. Cau, Andrea; Beyrand, Vincent; Voeten, Dennis F. A. E.; Fernandez, Vincent; Tafforeau, Paul; Stein, Koen; Barsbold, Rinchen; Tsogtbaatar, Khishigjav; Currie, Philip J.; Godefroit, Pascal (December 6, 2017). "Synchrotron scanning reveals amphibious ecomorphology in a new clade of bird-like dinosaurs". Nature. 552 (7685): 395–399. Bibcode:2017Natur.552..395C. doi:10.1038/nature24679. PMID   29211712. S2CID   4471941.
  22. 1 2 Paul, Gregory S. (2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs (2nd ed.). Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press. p. 151. ISBN   9780691167664.
  23. Kirkland, J.I.; Simpson, E.L.; DeBlieux, D.D.; Madsen, S.K.; Bogner, E.; Tibert, N.E. (September 1, 2016). "Depositional constraints on the Lower Cretaceous stikes quarry dinosaur site: Upper yellow cat member, cedar mountain formation, Utah". PALAIOS. 31 (9): 421–439. Bibcode:2016Palai..31..421K. doi:10.2110/palo.2016.041. S2CID   132388318.
  24. Williams, Carter (February 25, 2021). "Several more Utahraptor fossils discovered from 136M-year-old block 1st found in Utah". KSL.com. Deseret Digital Media. Archived from the original on February 27, 2021.
  25. Frederickson, J. A.; Engel, M. H.; Cifelli, R. L. (May 3, 2020). "Ontogenetic dietary shifts in Deinonychus antirrhopus (Theropoda; Dromaeosauridae): Insights into the ecology and social behavior of raptorial dinosaurs through stable isotope analysis". Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology. 552: 109780. Bibcode:2020PPP...55209780F. doi:10.1016/j.palaeo.2020.109780. S2CID   219059665.
  26. Holtz, T. R.; Rey, L. V. (2007). Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages. Random House. Supplementary Information 2012 Weight Information
  27. Sames, B. C.; Schudack, M. E. (2010). "The nonmarine Lower Cretaceous of the North American Western Interior foreland basin: new biostratigraphic results from ostracod correlations and early mammals, and their implications for paleontology and geology of the basin – an overview". Earth-Science Reviews. 101 (3–4): 207–224. Bibcode:2010ESRv..101..207S. doi:10.1016/j.earscirev.2010.05.001.
  28. 1 2 3 Joeckel, R. M.; Ludvigson, G.; Moeller, A.; Hotton, C. L.; Suarez, M. B.; Suarez, C. A.; Sames, B.; Kirkland, J. I.; Hendrix, B. (2019). "Chronostratigraphy and Terrestrial Palaeoclimatology of Berriasian–Hauterivian Strata of the Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, USA". Geological Society of London, Special Publications. 498: 75–100. doi:10.1144/SP498-2018-133. S2CID   210296827.
  29. 1 2 3 4 5 Kirkland, J.I. (December 1, 2016). "The Lower Cretaceous in East-Central Utah—The Cedar Mountain Formation and its Bounding Strata". Geology of the Intermoutain West. 3: 1–130.
  30. 1 2 Royo-Torres, R.; Upchurch, P.; Kirkland, J.I.; DeBlieux, D.D.; Foster, J.R.; Cobos, A.; Alcalá, L. (2017). "Descendants of the Jurassic turiasaurs from Iberia found refuge in the Early Cretaceous of western USA". Scientific Reports. 7 (1): 14311. Bibcode:2017NatSR...714311R. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-14677-2. PMC   5662694 . PMID   29085006.
  31. Britt, B.B.; Scheetz, R.D.; Whiting, M.F.; Wilhite, D.R. (2017). "Moabosaurus utahensis, n. gen., n. sp., A New Sauropod From The Early Cretaceous (Aptian) of North America" (PDF). Contributions from the Museum of Paleontology, University of Michigan. 32 (11): 189–243. S2CID   50350241. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 5, 2019.
  32. Huttenlocker, Adam K.; Grossnickle, David M.; Kirkland, James I.; Schultz, Julia A.; Luo, Zhe-Xi (May 23, 2018). "Late-surviving stem mammal links the lowermost Cretaceous of North America and Gondwana". Nature. 558 (7708): 108–112. Bibcode:2018Natur.558..108H. doi:10.1038/s41586-018-0126-y. PMID   29795343. S2CID   43921185.
  33. Britt, Brooks B.; Scheetz, Rodney D.; Brinkman, Donald B.; Eberth, David A. (December 11, 2006). "A Barremian neochoristodere from the Cedar Mountain Formation, Utah, U.S.A.". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 26 (4): 1005–1008. doi:10.1671/0272-4634(2006)26[1005:ABNFTC]2.0.CO;2. S2CID   86258448.
  34. Scheetz, R. A.; Britt, B. B.; Higgerson, J. (2010). "A large, tall-spined iguanodontid dinosaur from the Early Cretaceous (Early Albian) basal Cedar Mountain Formation of Utah". Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. 30 (Supplement 2): 158A. doi:10.1080/02724634.2010.10411819. S2CID   220429286.
  35. Senter, P.; Kirkland, J. I.; Deblieux, D. D.; Madsen, S.; Toth, N. (2012). Dodson, Peter (ed.). "New Dromaeosaurids (Dinosauria: Theropoda) from the Lower Cretaceous of Utah, and the Evolution of the Dromaeosaurid Tail". PLOS ONE. 7 (5): e36790. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...736790S. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036790 . PMC   3352940 . PMID   22615813.
  36. Holtz, Thomas R. (September 12, 1995). "Raptor Red: a review (long)". Archives of the DINOSAUR Mailing List. Archived from the original on March 3, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2014.
  37. Kanipe, Jeff (February 1996). "Dino Redux". Earth. 5 (1): 66–68.
  38. Naughton, John (September 5, 1995). "At home with a Jurassic monster". The Times .
  39. Chander, David (November 13, 1995). "In his field, Robert Bakker walks alone". Boston Globe. p. 29.
  40. Johnson, Eric (September 1995). "Book Reviews: Fiction". Library Journal . 120 (14): 205.
  41. Nixon, Nicole (February 12, 2018). "Senate Gives Utahraptor A Roar Of Approval". kuer.org. Retrieved February 13, 2018.
  42. Roche, Lisa Riley (February 12, 2018). "Senate approves bill making Utahraptor state dinosaur". Deseret News . Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  43. Eliason, Steve; Iwamoto, Jani (2020). "H.B. 322 - Utahraptor State Park". Utah State Legislature.
  44. McKellar, Katie (February 18, 2020). "Utahraptor State Park would protect discovery site of Utah's namesake dinosaur". Deseret News. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  45. Johnson, Jan (March 2, 2021). "Utah Considers State Park Named For Utahraptor Dinosaur". NPR.org. Retrieved March 4, 2021.