Dinosaurs A to Z
Neovenatoridae

Fukuiraptor

Generic theropod body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Fukuiraptor 4.2 m (13.8 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic theropod body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Fukuiraptor
Length
4.2 m (13.8 ft)
Period
Early Cretaceous (125–115 Mya)
Place
Japan
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Neovenatoridae
Fukuiraptor reconstruction by Nobu Tamura (https://spinops.blogspot.com)
Reconstruction · Nobu Tamura (https://spinops.blogspot.com) (CC-BY)

Fukuiraptor (“thief of Fukui”) is a genus of medium-sized megaraptoran theropod dinosaur of the Early Cretaceous epoch (either Barremian or Aptian) that lived in what is now Japan. Fukuiraptor is known from the Kitadani Formation and possibly also the Sebayashi Formation. Fukuiraptor may have been one of the basalmost members of Megaraptora, or a sister taxon to Australovenator.

What we know

  • Named by Azuma & Currie, 2000.
  • Body length estimated at about 4.2 m.
  • Fossils found in Japan.

What we guess

The reconstruction notes for Fukuiraptor — soft tissue, color, behavior — haven't been written up yet. Only the recorded basics above are filled in so far.