Dromaeosaurus
DROM-ee-oh-SORE-us
"running lizard"
- Lived
- 84 to 66 million years ago, Late Cretaceous
- Diet
- Carnivore
- Length
- about 2 m (7 ft)
- Group
- Theropods, Dromaeosauridae
- Found in
- Canada and United States
- Named by
- Matthew and Brown 1922
Size comparison
To scale
Scale in meters
Where its fossils were found
The evidence
Today
75 million years ago
Habitat
It probably hunted among wooded riverbanks and sandy channels in the Dinosaur Park Formation. Centrosaurus and Gorgosaurus lived in the same formation.
Field notes
About Dromaeosaurus
What it was like
Dromaeosaurus was a heavily built, ground-dwelling predator, sturdier than many of its raptor relatives despite its modest size. It grew to about 2 meters (7 feet) long, and its skull was deep and powerful, with strong jaw muscles for gripping and crushing prey.
Like other dromaeosaurids, it carried an enlarged, curved claw on each second toe, likely used to grip and slash at prey, and its stiffened tail probably helped with balance while running and turning.
Its world
Dromaeosaurus lived from about 84 to 66 million years ago, in the Late Cretaceous, in what is now Alberta, in Canada, and Montana and Wyoming, in the United States.
It shared its world with the small, sharp-clawed Troodon and Saurornitholestes, the horned Triceratops, the predator Tyrannosaurus, and the dome-headed Pachycephalosaurus.
How it was found
Matthew and Brown named Dromaeosaurus in 1922. With around 41 fossil finds known, it is one of the better-represented small theropods of its time, though much of that material is teeth and partial bones rather than complete skeletons. Dromaeosaurus gives its name to the whole dromaeosaurid family, and its closest relatives include Dakotaraptor, Velociraptor, and Deinonychus.
Field gallery
More views of Dromaeosaurus
Scenes reconstructed from the available fossil evidence.
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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 Dromaeosaurus.
The evidence
The science behind Dromaeosaurus
Which parts of the picture come from its own bones, and which come from its relatives.
From its own fossils
- A partial skull shows a short, deep snout and strong jaws.
- Its teeth were sturdy, curved and serrated.
Borrowed from relatives
- The missing parts of the body are restored using relatives such as Deinonychus and Velociraptor.
- Body feathers and feathered arms are inferred from feathered dromaeosaurs, including Microraptor and Velociraptor.
Still unknown
- Its color and the exact arrangement of its feathers.
- What its young looked like.
- Whether it hunted alone or in groups.
Often drawn wrong
- Its snout was deeper and sturdier than the narrow snout of Velociraptor.
- Its hands faced inward rather than palm down.
- A bare, lizard-like body leaves out its probable feather covering.
Discovery timeline
- 1922Named itMatthew & Brown
- 1995SkullCurrie
- 2007Close relativeTurner, Makovicky & Norell
Key papers
The research behind what we know of Dromaeosaurus
Named it
Named a small meat eater from Alberta whose skull differed from those of other known theropods.
The family Deinodontidae, with notice of a new genus from the Cretaceous of Alberta. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 46: 367-385
No link available
Skull
Restudied the original skull and clarified its teeth, braincase and place among dromaeosaurs.
New information on the anatomy and relationships ofDromaeosaurus albertensis(Dinosauria: Theropoda). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15: 576-591
Read the paper : New information on the anatomy and relationships ofDromaeosaurus albertensis(Dinosauria: Theropoda) (opens in a new tab)Close relative
Found feather attachment bumps on a Velociraptor forearm, supporting feathered arms in relatives such as Dromaeosaurus.
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)
Close relatives
Other members of Dromaeosauridae
Sources: Wikidata