Dineobellator
"Navajo warrior"
Type species Dineobellator notohesperus
- Lived
- 72 to 66 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Dromaeosauridae
- Found in
- United States
- Named by
- Jasinski et al. 2020
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
70 million years ago
Habitat
It lived in a river landscape in what is now New Mexico. Dinosaurs from the Ojo Alamo Formation include Alamosaurus and Glyptodontopelta.
Field notes
About Dineobellator
What it was like
Dineobellator was a feathered raptor, a relative of Velociraptor. It is known from part of a skeleton, including arms, claws and part of the tail.
Its arms were strong and its claws curved and sharp, which suggests it could grip prey. Its tail was more flexible at the base than in many relatives, which may have helped it turn quickly.
Its world
It lived about 72 to 66 million years ago, at the very end of the Late Cretaceous, in what is now New Mexico, in the United States. Its bones come from the Ojo Alamo Formation, where it shared the land with the giant long-necked Alamosaurus.
How it was found
Jasinski and colleagues named Dineobellator in 2020, from a single find. It is one of the last raptors known from North America.
Field gallery
More views of Dineobellator
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 Dineobellator.
The evidence
The science behind Dineobellator
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- The partial type skeleton preserves skull fragments, arm bones, claws, ribs, tail vertebrae, part of the hip and hindlimb bones. A bone first called a metatarsal was later identified as a toe bone.
- Small attachment bumps on the forearm show where large feathers were anchored.
- Abnormal bone growth records injuries or illness during its life.
Borrowed from relatives
- Missing skull and body connections are restored by comparison with Linheraptor.
- A broader coat of feathers follows feathered raptors such as Zhenyuanlong.
Still unknown
- Its feather colors and pattern, and the complete shape of its skull.
- Whether it hunted alone or in groups.
- Which raptors were its closest relatives.
Discovery timeline
- 2007SkinTurner, Makovicky & Norell
- 2020Named itJasinski, Sullivan & Dodson
- 2022Full descriptionJasinski et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Dineobellator
Skin
Identified feather attachment bumps on a Velociraptor forearm, the same kind of feature that supports feathers in Dineobellator.
Feather quill knobs in the dinosaur Velociraptor. Science 317: 1721
Read the paper : Feather quill knobs in the dinosaur Velociraptor (opens in a new tab)Named it
Described a feathered raptor with distinctive arm and tail bones, adding to the variety of raptors near the end of the Cretaceous.
New Dromaeosaurid Dinosaur (Theropoda, Dromaeosauridae) from New Mexico and Biodiversity of Dromaeosaurids at the end of the Cretaceous. Scientific Reports 10
Read the paper : New Dromaeosaurid Dinosaur (Theropoda, Dromaeosauridae) from New Mexico and Biodiversity of Dromaeosaurids at the end of the Cretaceous (opens in a new tab)Full description
Described the bones in detail, corrected some earlier identifications, and examined injuries and its place in the raptor family tree.
Osteology and reassessment of Dineobellator notohesperus, a southern eudromaeosaur (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae: Eudromaeosauria) from the latest Cretaceous of New Mexico. The Anatomical Record 306: 1712-1756
Read the paper : Osteology and reassessment of Dineobellator notohesperus, a southern eudromaeosaur (Theropoda: Dromaeosauridae: Eudromaeosauria) from the latest Cretaceous of New Mexico (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Dromaeosauridae
Sources: Wikidata