Dinosaurs A to Z
Dromaeosauridae

Halszkaraptor HⱭːLSHKUHRAPTER

"Halszka"

Generic raptor body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Halszkaraptor 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 Halszkaraptor
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (75–71 Mya)
Place
Mongolia
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Dromaeosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Sickle-clawed raptors: Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor.
Halszkaraptor reconstruction by PaleoNeolitic
Reconstruction · PaleoNeolitic (CC-BY)

Halszkaraptor (; meaning “Halszka’s seizer”) is a genus of waterfowl-like dromaeosaurid dinosaurs from Mongolia that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. It contains only one known species, Halszkaraptor escuilliei.

The type specimen (holotype) has been compared to the bones of extant crocodilians and aquatic birds, and displayed evidence of a semiaquatic lifestyle, while some researchers question a semiaquatic ecology. A phylogenetic analysis revealed it was a member of the basal subfamily Halszkaraptorinae, along with Mahakala and Hulsanpes.

What we know

  • Named by Cau et al., 2017.
  • Fossils found in Mongolia.

What we guess

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