Santanaraptor is a Primitive Tyrannosauroid from early Cretaceous Brazil.
History[]
This tyrannosauroid dinosaur lived in South America during the Early Cretaceous (late Aptian-early Albian), about 112 million years ago.
Description[]
It is about 4.1 ft (1.3 m) and weighed about 50 lbs. It is known from a partial skeleton, but one that has fossilized muscle tissue.
Classification[]
The holotype (MN 4802-V) is a juvenile partial skeleton consisting of three caudal vertebrae with chevrons, ischia, femora, tibia, fibula, pes, and soft tissue. The fossilized tissue includes a thin epidermis, muscle fibers, and possibly blood vessels. It was unearthed in 1996 from the Romualdo Formation (Santana Group) in the Ceará State, northeastern Brazil. While primarily known from hindquarter elements, the individual represented by the fossil may have reached 1.25 metres (4.1 ft) in length. The fossil consists of bones from the pelvis, hindlimbs, and tail. These provide little information on its overall appearance. However, it was definitely a coelurosaur, and a few of its details suggest that it might be a member of the tyrannosauroids. It is presumed to be similar to Dilong and Guanlong in that it had long arms, three fingered hands, and slim hind limbs.
Gallery[]
Santanaraptor/Gallery