Dromaeosauroides
Type species Dromaeosauroides bornholmensis
- Lived
- 139 to 137 million years ago, Early Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Group
- Theropods, Dromaeosauridae
- Found in
- Denmark
- Named by
- Christiansen and Bonde 2003
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
140 million years ago
Habitat
The Jydegaard Formation records coastal lagoons in what is now Denmark. A sauropod tooth was also found in these deposits.
Field notes
About Dromaeosauroides
What it was like
Dromaeosauroides was a dromaeosaur, a feathered hunter related to Velociraptor. It is known only from teeth, so its size and shape are guesses based on its relatives.
Its world
It lived in the Early Cretaceous, in what is now Denmark. It comes from the Jydegaard Formation, on an island in the sea east of mainland Denmark.
How it was found
Christiansen and Bonde named Dromaeosauroides in 2003. The type species is Dromaeosauroides bornholmensis. It is the first dinosaur named from Denmark.
Field gallery
More views of Dromaeosauroides
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
The evidence
The science behind Dromaeosauroides
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- Dromaeosauroides was named from an isolated meat-eating dinosaur tooth.
- The tooth closely resembles those of Dromaeosaurus, with differences that led to a separate genus.
Borrowed from relatives
- Its body is restored from better-known dromaeosaurs such as Dromaeosaurus.
- Feathers are inferred from feathered relatives such as Microraptor.
Still unknown
- Its body size and proportions.
- How reliably isolated teeth distinguish it from other dromaeosaurs.
- Its feather colors and the shape of its feather covering.
Discovery timeline
- 2003Named itChristiansen & Bonde
- 2003Fossil sitesBonde & Christiansen
- 2003Close relativeXu et al.
- 2008Its worldLindgren et al.
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Dromaeosauroides
Named it
Named a dinosaur from Denmark using a tooth that resembles Dromaeosaurus but differs in its anatomy.
The first dinosaur from Denmark. Neues Jahrbuch für Geologie und Paläontologie - Abhandlungen 227: 287-299
Read the paper : The first dinosaur from Denmark (opens in a new tab)Fossil sites
Reported the Dromaeosauroides tooth and a sauropod tooth from the same coastal deposits.
New dinosaurs from Denmark. Comptes Rendus Palevol 2: 13-26
Read the paper : New dinosaurs from Denmark (opens in a new tab)Close relative
Described long feathers on the arms and legs of Microraptor, supporting feathered restorations of related dromaeosaurs.
Four-winged dinosaurs from China. Nature 421: 335-340
Read the paper : Four-winged dinosaurs from China (opens in a new tab)Its world
Described other early theropod teeth from Denmark and questioned how precisely the Dromaeosauroides tooth can be identified.
Theropod dinosaur teeth from the lowermost Cretaceous Rabekke Formation on Bornholm, Denmark. Geobios 41: 253-262
Read the paper : Theropod dinosaur teeth from the lowermost Cretaceous Rabekke Formation on Bornholm, Denmark (opens in a new tab)
Close relatives
Other members of Dromaeosauridae
Sources: Wikidata