Pyroraptor olympius
By Ripley Cook
Etymology: Fire Thief
First Described By: Allain & Taquet, 2000
Classification: Dinosauromorpha, Dinosauriformes, Dracohors, Dinosauria, Saurischia, Eusaurischia, Theropoda, Neotheropoda, Averostra, Tetanurae, Orionides, Avetheropoda, Coelurosauria, Tyrannoraptora, Maniraptoromorpha, Maniraptoriformes, Maniraptora, Pennaraptora, Paraves, Eumaniraptora, Dromaeosauridae
Status: Extinct
Time and Place: Around 72 million years ago, in the Campanian of the Late Cretaceous
Pyroraptor is known from the La Boucharde locality in France, the Vitoria and La Posa Formations in Spain, and potential locations in the UK
Physical Description: Pyroraptor is a poorly known raptor, based on a few fossil scraps found around the late Cretaceous of Europe. Portions of the foot, arms, and some teeth are known from Pyroraptor, none preserved very well. It had the sickle second toe claw of other raptors, and it seems to have been fairly lightweight and small - probably no longer than 1.4 meters, though that is of course an estimate. Other than that, we know very little about its appearance - we don’t even know if it was a specialized sort of raptor like in the Dromaeosaurine, Microraptorine, or other groups - except for that it would have been very fluffy, with wings on its arms and a tail fan on its tail.
By Conty, CC BY 3.0
Diet: As a raptor, it is most likely that Pyroraptor fed upon meat, probably small animals such as lizards, mammals, and turtles.
Behavior: Pyroraptor would have been a very active dinosaur, spending most of its time hopping and stalking around the rivers and beaches in its island environment. Like other raptors, it wouldn’t have been a pursuit predator, but rather an ambush one: it would have waited for prey to appear, and then pounced on it, using rapid flaps of its wings to stay balanced on top of the struggling prey. This technique, called raptor prey restraint, is still seen in living raptors today. Pyroraptor would have also been able to run up vertical surfaces, such as trees and cliffs, using flaps of its wings to gain lyft up the surface. Then, it would have been able to catch food on the run! Other than that, Pyroraptor probably wasn’t very social, based on fossil evidence from other raptors - that being said, it would have taken care of its young, and probably stayed in small family groups during this process.
By The Unknown Horror From the Ocean Depths, CC BY-SA 4.0
Ecosystem: Pyroraptor lived in the Late Cretaceous of Western Europe, which was a series of islands sitting in a shallow ocean - sort of like the Bahamas today. These ecosystems were easy to travel between, utilizing rafting and other forms of impromptu sea travel, so the animals on them tended to be similar to each other. Pyroraptor itself lived with many turtles, snakes, sharks, and gars; as well as Eusuchians such as Musturzabalsuchus and Acynodon. There was some sort of large Azhdarchid pterosaur, too - currently called Azhdarcho, though that’s a questionable assignment. As for other dinosaurs, there were Abelisaurids there, Titanosaurs like Lirainosaurus, Nodosaurids like Struthiosaurus, the Ornithopod Rhabdodon, and another raptor called Richardoestesia, and the protobird Gargantuavis!
By José Carlos Cortés
Other: Pyroraptor was named as such because it was discovered after the occurence of a forest fire. Since so little is known about this dinosaur, there isn’t much more to be said about its phylogenetics or history of discovery! It is rather famous for having been featured in the 2003 documentary Dinosaur Planet, though given its poorly preserved nature, the wisdom in that choice of star is mildly suspect.
~ By Meig Dickson
Sources Under the Cut
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Work Boredom Strikes Again!
So, while working in the museum galleries, ADHD brain likes to wander to all sorts of places! Well, it decided to fixate on two things I enjoy, Greek Mythology, and dinosaurs.
So, pretty much most if not all the Greek Pantheon have a bird sacred to them right? Zeus has the eagle, Athena the owl, Ares the vulture, Hera the peacock, etc. etc.
So then my paleontology loving self thought “What non-avian dinosaurs could be symbols for the Greek deities?” So, I wrote down the ones I thought of, which is...not many, but I’ll share the ones i DID think of below the cut. Note, if a god doesn’t appear, it’s because I haven’t decided on one yet, and am open to suggestions.
Zeus: Tyrannosaurus rex. C’mon, the most iconic and popular theropod of all time, the “King of Dinos”, how could it NOT go to the King of Olympus?
Also Carnotaurus. “Meat-eating Bull”. Bulls were also associated with Zeus, sooo...why not?
Poseidon: Sauroposeidon. ...It’s named after him, need I say more?
Also Spinosaurus. Whether you go for the aquatic pursuit predator, or stork-like wading model for hunting, Spinosaurus was clearly adapted to a lifestyle with lots and lots of water. It’s big, it’s WEIRD, and growing as an icon. I also personally find it rather regal looking with that sail, I think it’d fit Poseidon, King of the Seas, well....
Hades: Acheroraptor It’s essentially named after one of the rivers in the Underworld, that’s....really all I got.
Ares: Allosaurus Another pretty iconic theropod, sadly overshadowed by T. rex, but no less deadly. This beast was tough, many gruesome, but healed over, injuries have been found on Allosaurus remains, the most famous of which being Big Al. It’s also been theorized that they might’ve used their jaws like a battle axe to make up for a relatively low bite force; swinging their head down to chomp down on their prey. They could take quite a bit of damage, but also dish it out. Seems like a good fit for the mighty God of War in my opinion. (this is also my favorite large theropod and Ares is one of my favorites but I swear this has nothing to do with my choice...)
Hermes: Microraptor. IT’S GOT LEG WINGS!!!! How could that NOT become a reference to Hermes’ winged sandals? It’s a small, cute, gliding dino, and I imagine it’d be incredibly mischievous. It’s also one of the few non-avian dinos we know the color of due to fossilized melanosomes. An iridescent blue/black, like crows and ravens. (Also another fav of mine...)
Hephaestus: Ankylosaurus. Heavily armored with a HAMMER/CLUB LIKE TAIL. As a god who uses hammers and other tools, and known to make weapons and armor, I think an armored beast such as this would suit him.
BONUS! I know he’s not an Olympian god, but he was the one that started this train of thought!
Prometheus: Pyroraptor. It’s full name, Pyroraptor olympius, pretty much translates to “Fire-thief of Olympus” or “Olympic Fire-Thief”. If that’s not Prometheus then WHAT? ....Also I’m desperate need of art featuring a cute little feathered raptor running from Mt. Olympus with a torch in his jaws....
Sadly these are the only ones I’ve thought of. I hate how I couldn’t figure out any possibilities for the goddesses! Need one suitably beautiful for Aphrodite, or regal for Hera....hmm..
I DID settle on the idea of a hadrosaur of some sort for Apollo, but not which one. Reason being due to the fact they were LOUD, likely VERY VOCAL, and we’ve simulated what they could’ve sounded like. THe god of music should have something known for lots of sound. Also the wide array of lovely crests many had would suit him as he’s also a beautiful god.
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