Apatoraptor
"deceptive thief"
- Lived
- 72 to 66 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Caenagnathidae
- Found in
- Canada
- Named by
- Funston and Currie 2016
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
70 million years ago
Habitat
A low river plain near the coast in Alberta. Other dinosaurs from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation included Edmontosaurus, Albertosaurus and Ornithomimus.
Field notes
About Apatoraptor
What it was like
Apatoraptor was a caenagnathid, a feathered, toothless theropod related to Chirostenotes. Bumps on its forearm bone show where large feathers were attached. How it used its feathered arms is unknown.
Its world
It lived in the Late Cretaceous, in what is now Alberta, Canada. It comes from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation, where it shared the land with the tyrannosaur Albertosaurus, the duckbills Edmontosaurus and Saurolophus, and the ostrich-like Ornithomimus.
How it was found
Funston and Currie named Apatoraptor in 2016, from a single partial skeleton. It was first thought to be an ornithomimid, which is why its name means deceptive.
Field gallery
More views of Apatoraptor
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
1 of 3
Lived alongside
Found in the same rock formations
A rock formation can hold fossils laid down millions of years apart, so not every animal here met Apatoraptor.
The evidence
The science behind Apatoraptor
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A single partial skeleton preserves the toothless lower jaws, part of the palate, the neck and back, the shoulder and right arm, and parts of the hips and hind leg.
- The lower jaw is long and shallow with a strong downward bow, which its describers took as a sign of a deep beak. The neck vertebrae contain air spaces.
- The arm bones show strong muscle attachments, and bumps on the forearm mark where large feathers attached. The first two fingers end in curved claws, the second longer but less curved than the first.
Borrowed from relatives
- Anzu helps fill in the missing upper skull, the rear of the body and the tail.
- The missing feet follow Chirostenotes, and a covering of body feathers follows Caudipteryx and other feathered oviraptorosaurs.
Still unknown
- The shape of the top of its head, including whether it had a crest.
- Its feet and tail, which were not found with the skeleton.
- Its feather colors, what it ate and how it used its feathered arms.
Discovery timeline
- 2014Close relativeLamanna et al.
- 2016Named itFunston & Currie
- 2020Family treeFunston
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Apatoraptor
Close relative
Described Anzu from overlapping partial skeletons, revealing the skull and body plan of a close relative of Apatoraptor.
A New Large-Bodied Oviraptorosaurian Theropod Dinosaur from the Latest Cretaceous of Western North America. PLoS ONE 9: e92022
Read the paper : A New Large-Bodied Oviraptorosaurian Theropod Dinosaur from the Latest Cretaceous of Western North America (opens in a new tab)Named it
Described a toothless jaw, a long neck and a muscular arm with feather attachment bumps, and compared the animal with other caenagnathids.
A new caenagnathid (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada, and a reevaluation of the relationships of Caenagnathidae. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 36: e1160910
Read the paper : A new caenagnathid (Dinosauria: Oviraptorosauria) from the Horseshoe Canyon Formation of Alberta, Canada, and a reevaluation of the relationships of Caenagnathidae (opens in a new tab)Family tree
Used anatomy and bone growth to distinguish Citipes, Chirostenotes and Caenagnathus, and revised the family tree of Apatoraptor's relatives.
Caenagnathids of the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, Canada: anatomy, osteohistology, taxonomy, and evolution. Vertebrate Anatomy Morphology Palaeontology 8: 105-153
Read the paper : Caenagnathids of the Dinosaur Park Formation (Campanian) of Alberta, Canada: anatomy, osteohistology, taxonomy, and evolution (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Caenagnathidae
Sources: Wikidata