Dakatoraptor

The one thing that immediately stands out about Dakotaraptor at first glance is simply the large size of this dromaeosaurid dinosaur.‭ ‬Most dromaeosaurid dinosaurs measure in at under two meters in length,‭ ‬with a few genera ranging between two and three meters long.‭ ‬The Holotype individual of Dakotaraptor however has a reconstructed length of five and a half meters.‭ ‬At the‭ ‬time of the‭ ‬2015‭ ‬description,‭ ‬this makes Dakotaraptor the second largest dromaeosaurid dinosaur known,‭ ‬with the largest being Utahraptor. 
      As far as comparison between Dakotaraptor and Utahraptor goes,‭ ‬Utahraptor lived in North America around Utah‭ (‬clue is in the name‭) ‬during the Early Cretaceous roughly one hundred and twenty-six million years ago.‭ ‬Dakotaraptor also lived in North America but around South Dakota towards the end of the Late Cretaceous some sixty-six million years ago.‭ ‬Not only are Dakotaraptor and Utahraptor separated by a wide temporal gulf,‭ ‬study of the known fossils of Dakotaraptor show that in body‭ ‬proportions‭ ‬this genus was actually more like genera such as Deinonychus and Dromaeosaurus than it was Utahraptor,‭ ‬making a direct link between Dakotaraptor and Utahraptor unlikely.
      Studies of dromaeosaurid dinosaurs going back to the late twentieth century indicate that dromaeosaurid dinosaurs almost certainly had feathers.‭ ‬These feathers were not necessarily all over the body,‭ ‬but were likely on the thorax and abdomen and almost certain on the arms.‭ ‬Dakotaraptor supports this theory in that fossils of the ulna‭ (‬one of the forearm bones‭) ‬show attachment points for large pennaceous feathers.‭ ‬It is unknown to what extent feathers would have covered Dakotaraptor,‭ ‬but smaller insulating feathers are known to‭ ‬have covered the body in even larger theropod dinosaurs such as the tyrannosaur Yutyrannus.‭ ‬However other dinosaurs living in North America during the late Cretaceous such as the ornithomimosaur Ornithomimus are known to‭ ‬have had small feathers on the back and sides of the body,‭ ‬but have legs that were devoid of feathers.‭ ‬The coverage of feathers on Dakotaraptor were likely a reflection of environmental factors first,‭ ‬and additional functions such as display and egg insulation second.
Category:Dinosaurs
Category:Extinct Animals
Category:Cretaceous Animals
Category:Theropods
Category:Mesozoic Animals