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Rahonavis Rahonavis

"Etymology TBD"

You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Rahonavis 5 m (16.4 ft) long
3 people holding hands
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Early Cretaceous (70–66 Mya)
Place
Africa · South Africa · Madagascar
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Dromaeosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria

Rahonavis is a genus of bird-like theropod from the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian, from about 70 to 66 mya) of what is now northwestern Madagascar. It is known from a partial skeleton (UA 8656) found by Catherine Forster and colleagues in Maevarano Formation rocks at a quarry near Berivotra, Mahajanga Province. Rahonavis was a small predator, at about 70 cm long and 0.45-2.27 kg (1-5 lbs), with the typical dromaesaurid-like raised sickle claw on the second toe. It was the first coelurosaur discovered in Africa, with Nqwebasaurus being the second.

The name Rahonavis means, approximately, “cloud menace bird”, from Malagasy rahona (RA-hoo-na, “cloud” or “menace”) + Latin avis “bird”. The specific name, R. ostromi, was coined in honor of John Ostrom.

What we know

  • Named by Forster et al., 1998b.
  • Fossils found in Africa and South Africa.