Dromaeosaurus

Say it like this: “DROH-mee-o-SAWR-us”

Dromaeosaurus albertensis

Dromaeosaurus ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Late Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Canada.

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When: Late Cretaceous (Campanian) · roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago
Named in: 1922 · Matthew, W. D.; Brown, B.
Hip height: 0.7 m · 2 ft
Length: 2 m · 7 ft
Weight: 16 kg · 35 lb
Found in: Canada
Food and walking: Carnivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Dromaeosaurinae

The story in short

Dromaeosaurus was formally named in 1922 by W. D. Matthew and B. Brown. The name means “running lizard.”

Fossils referred to Dromaeosaurus date to the Late Cretaceous (Campanian), roughly 83.6 to 72.2 million years ago. Finds come from Canada. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Dromaeosaurus at a length near 2 m, hips about 0.7 m high, and a body mass around 16 kg.

On the family tree it sits in Dromaeosaurinae, among the theropod dinosaurs.

Close relatives

Achillobator

Achillobator giganticus

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian–Santonian) · roughly 100.5 to 83.6 million years ago

Itemirus

Itemirus medullaris

Late Cretaceous (Turonian) · roughly 93.9 to 89.8 million years ago

Utahraptor

Utahraptor ostrommaysi

Early Cretaceous (Valanginian) · roughly 137.1 to 132.6 million years ago