Dinosaurs A to Z
Dromaeosauridae

Neuquenraptor argentinus

"thief"

Generic raptor body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Neuquenraptor 3.5 m (11.5 ft) long
as long as 2 people standing fingertip to fingertip
generic raptor body plan, scaled to length — not a silhouette of Neuquenraptor
Length
3.5 m (11.5 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (90 Mya)
Place
South America · Argentina
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Dromaeosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Sickle-clawed raptors: Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor.

Neuquenraptor (meaning Neuquén thief) is a genus of unenlagiine theropod dinosaurs that lived in South America during the Late Cretaceous in what is now the Portezuelo Formation of Argentina. It is one of the first dromaeosaurids found in the Southern Hemisphere.

What we know

  • Named by Novas & Pol, 2005.
  • Body length estimated at about 3.5 m.
  • Fossils found in South America and Argentina.

What we guess

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