Dinosaurs A to Z
Dromaeosauridae

Zapsalis abradens

Generic raptor body-plan outline
You 1.8 m (5.9 ft) tall
Zapsalis 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 Zapsalis
Length
5 m (16.4 ft)
Period
Late Cretaceous (75 Mya)
Food
Carnivore
Clade
Dromaeosauridae Dinosauria Saurischia Theropoda Coelurosauria Sickle-clawed raptors: Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Utahraptor.

Zapsalis is a genus of dromaeosaurine theropod dinosaurs. It is a tooth taxon, often considered dubious because of the fragmentary nature of the fossils, which include teeth but no other remains.

What we know

  • Named by Cope, 1876.

What we guess

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