Apatoraptor is a type of dinosaur that lived about 74 million years ago during the Campanian period. Its name means “deceptive thief,” and it belongs to a larger group of dinosaurs called caenagnathids. The only known species of this dinosaur is called Apatoraptor pennatus.
Discovery
The story of Apatoraptor begins in 1993 when a skeleton was discovered near Drumheller, Alberta, close to the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology. At first, scientists didn’t think much of it and thought it was an unimportant dinosaur. Because of this, they didn’t start studying it until 2002, and when they did, they abandoned it again since they thought it lacked a skull.
In 2008, scientists took another look and realized that this skeleton was actually a new species that was not known before. In 2016, researchers Gregory F. Funston and Philip John Currie named this new species Apatoraptor pennatus. The name “pennatus” means “feathered” in Latin, which refers to the discovery of quill knobs on the bones indicating that it had feathers and possibly wings.
The fossil of Apatoraptor was mostly well-preserved, which means that many of its bones were still connected when they were found. It includes parts like the skull, neck bones, arms, ribs, and legs. Scientists even used special CAT scans to study it further.
Classification
Apatoraptor is classified in the group Oviraptorosauria, specifically within the family called Caenagnathidae. It is thought to be closely related to a dinosaur named Elmisaurus.
In summary, Apatoraptor is a fascinating dinosaur that teaches us more about the diversity of dinosaurs from the past, especially those with feathers. It’s a perfect example of how sometimes what seems unimportant can turn out to be very special!