Period of life:
136-134 MYA
Era/period:
Cretaceous
Habitat:
Utah, USA
Length:
7

Description
Utahraptor was the largest and most dangerous raptor that ever existed, so other dromaeosauridaes appear tiny compared to it. It is this seven-meter dinosaur weighing about half a ton that ranks first in size within the family. Possessing an amazing natural armament in the form of a pile of muscles, sharp teeth and claws, Utahraptor retained great mobility. The Latin name Utahraptor comes from the words "hunter" and "Utah". This is the name of the American state in which the theropod was discovered in 1975, where it lived at the beginning of the Cretaceous period about 120 million years ago. The Utahraptor moved on two legs, each of which ended with four toes: one reduced and three working. The latter had sharp claws. Utahraptor is very often depicted as feathered, but this is nothing more than an assumption. No signs of feather were found. Today it is impossible to determine exactly whether the Utahraptors hunted in a pack or preferred a solitary lifestyle. However, an indirect sign of the first option is the presence in this area of a considerable number of ornithopods and sauropods, with adult representatives of which it would be difficult for the utahraptor to cope alone.