Vayuraptor

Say it like this: “VAH-yoo-RAP-tor”

Vayuraptor nongbualamphuensis

Vayuraptor ate meat and walked on two legs. It lived in the Early Cretaceous. Bones have been found in Thailand.

Quiz me on Vayuraptor

When: Early Cretaceous (Valanginian · Hauterivian) · roughly 137.1 to 125.8 million years ago
Named in: 2019 · Samathi, A.; Chanthasit, P.; Sander, P.
Hip height: 0.9 m · 3 ft
Length: 4–4.5 m · 13–15 ft
Weight: 50 kg · 110 lb
Found in: Thailand · Sao Khua
Food and walking: Carnivore · Two legs
Kind: sharp-clawed runner · Theropod
Family branch: Megaraptora

The story in short

The genus Vayuraptor dates to 2019, the year A. Samathi and colleagues described it. The name honors a person tied to the fossil or its study.

It lived in the Early Cretaceous (Valanginian · Hauterivian), roughly 137.1 to 125.8 million years ago. Finds come from Thailand, including the Sao Khua Formation. It was a carnivore and walked on two legs.

Published estimates put Vayuraptor at a length near 4–4.5 m, hips about 0.9 m high, and a body mass around 50 kg.

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

Close relatives

Aoniraptor

Aoniraptor libertatem

Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian · Turonian) · roughly 100.5 to 89.8 million years ago

Fukuiraptor

Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis

Early Cretaceous (Hauterivian · Barremian · Aptian) · roughly 132.6 to 113.2 million years ago

Phuwiangvenator

Phuwiangvenator yaemniyomi

Early Cretaceous (Valanginian · Hauterivian) · roughly 137.1 to 125.8 million years ago