Ah ha! This one takes us back to prehistoric Utah! I definitely wouldn't want to meet this raptor out on a camping trip, would you? 'Cause if its distant relatives are anything to go by, the Utahraptor will make a meal of anything it can get its claws on. |
Utahraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurid dinosaur in Jurassic World Evolution 2. Originating from Early Cretaceous North America, it is the largest-known dromaeosaur. It is included in the Cretaceous Predator Pack.
Characteristics[]
Among the largest known members of dromaeosaur family, Utahraptor (as its name suggests) lived in the Utah region of the western United States during the Early Cretaceous period. Measuring around 6 meters long, standing 2 meters tall, and weighing 250 to 500 kg (roughly the size of a large bear), Utahraptor is a ferocious, intelligent, ruthless, and incredibly lethal predator that shares many features with its fellow raptors, including a stunning feathered coat and the large, lethal scythe-like "killing claws" on each foot that could stop almost any victim dead in its tracks. Unable to outrun most smaller dinosaurs, this genus of theropod dinosaur relies on its sickle claws and a powerful bite to ambush its prey.
Behavior[]
Paleontology[]
Undoubtedly the largest and heaviest member of all dromaeosaurids - or raptor dinosaurs - measuring between 5 ad 7 m (16 and 23 ft) in length, standing around 1.5 to 2 m (4.9 to 6 ft) tall, and between 250 and 770 kg (500 and 1,700 lb) in weight - comparable in size to a large Kodiak or polar bear - the first specimens of Utahraptor were discovered in 1975 by respected American paleontologist Jim Jensen during an excavation in the Dalton Wells Quarry near the town of Moab, Utah. However, for more than 15 years, it did not receive much attention until the find of a large claw by Carl Limone in October of 1991. Following that, further remains of Utahraptor uncovered in the Gaston Quarry in Grand County, Utah by James Kirkland, Robert Gaston, and Donald Burge.
The type species, Utahraptor ostrommaysi, was officially named by Kirkland, Gaston, and Burge in June of 1993. The genus name is reference to Utah, where the remains were found, but the Latin word raptor translates to "Thief". The specific name, ostrommaysi, is in honor to John Ostrom for his investigations on Deinonychus and its relationships to birds, as well as Chris Mays, who helped in the research of Utahraptor by founding Dinamation.
Paleoecology[]
Utahraptor lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous period, approximately 140-120 million years ago. It shared its ecosystem with fellow dinosaurs such as sauropods such as Cedarosaurus, iguanodont ornithopods such as Dakotadon, and the ankylosaurian nodosaurid Gastonia as well as other smaller theropod dinosaurs. Among the apex predators of its time, it inhabited environments that consisted of semiarid areas with floodplain prairies, riverine forests, and open woodlands predominated by conifers, ferns, hornworts, and other vascular plants.
Available genomes[]
TBA
Gallery[]
References[]
External links[]
- Utahraptor on Wikipedia