Look up · dinosaur 27 of 1,425
sharp-clawed runner
Aerosteon
Say it like this: “eh-ro-stee-on”
Aerosteon riocoloradensis
Aerosteon ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Argentina.
- When
- Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
- Named in
- 2008 · Sereno, P. C.; Martínez, R. N.; Wilson, J. A.; Varricchio, D. J.; Alcober, O. A.; Larsson, H. C. E.
- Hip height
- 2 m · 7 ft
- Length
- 6–10 m · 20–33 ft
- Weight
- 0.5–1 tonnes
- Found in
- Argentina · Anacleto
- Food and walking
- Carnivore · Two legs
- Kind
- sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
- Family branch
- Megaraptoridae
The story in short
Aerosteon was formally named in 2008 by P. C. Sereno and colleagues.
Fossils referred to Aerosteon date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from Argentina, including the Anacleto Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.
Published estimates put Aerosteon at a length near 6–10 m, hips about 2 m high, and a body mass around 0.5–1 tonnes.
On the family tree it sits in Megaraptoridae, among the theropod dinosaurs.
Close relatives
Australovenator
Australovenator wintonensis
Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) · roughly 100.5 to 93.9 million years ago
Joaquinraptor
Joaquinraptor casali
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago
Maip
Maip macrothorax
Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) · roughly 72.2 to 66 million years ago