Adasaurus ɑːduh-SORRUHS
"evil lizard"
- Length
- 2.4 m (7.8 ft)
- Period
- Late Cretaceous (100–66 Mya)
- Place
- Asia · Mongolia
- Food
- Carnivore
- Clade
- Dromaeosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Sickle-clawed raptors: Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor.
Adasaurus ( ; meaning “evil lizard”) is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur that lived in Asia during the Late Cretaceous period. 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.
Adasaurus was a large dromaeosaurid that was about 2.39 – 3.5 m long weighing 36.4 – 87 kg. Unlike other dromaeosaurids, Adasaurus developed a rather small and blunt sickle claw that likely had a reduced use, and a recurved lacrimal bone; this latter trait is also shared with Austroraptor. Though reduced, the sickle claw retained the characteristic rounded articulation of most dromaeosaurids.
What we know
- Named by Barsbold, 1983.
- Body length estimated at about 2.39 m.
- Fossils found in Asia and Mongolia.
What we guess
The reconstruction notes for Adasaurus — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.