Dinosaurs A to Z
Dromaeosauridae

Graciliraptor

"graceful thief"

Generic raptor body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Graciliraptor 5 m (16.4 ft) long
as long as 3 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic raptor body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Graciliraptor
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Early Cretaceous (126 Mya)
Place
China
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Dromaeosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Sickle-clawed raptors: Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor.

Graciliraptor (meaning “graceful thief”) is a genus of microraptorian dromaeosaurid dinosaur from the early Cretaceous Period. Its fossil, holotype IVPP V 13474, was found in Beipiao, Liaoning Province, China. The type species is Graciliraptor lujiatunensis, named and described in 2004 by Xu Xing and Wang Xiaoling. The generic name is derived from Latin gracilis (meaning “graceful”) and raptor (meaning “thief”). The specific name refers to the village of Lujiatun where the fossil site is located.

What we know

  • Named by Xu & Wang, 2004.
  • Fossils found in China.

What we guess

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