**Santanaraptor**
Santanaraptor was a type of dinosaur that roamed South America around 112 million years ago during the Early Cretaceous period.
**Discovery**
The first Santanaraptor was discovered in 1996 in Brazil. The scientist who described it was named Kellner, and he published his findings in 1999. The species is called Santanaraptor placidus.
**What Did Santanaraptor Look Like?**
Scientists have found a partial skeleton of Santanaraptor which includes parts of its tail, legs, and some soft tissue. The fossil shows details like skin impressions with scales.
Santanaraptor was a young dinosaur. Based on the bones found, it was about 1.5 meters long and weighed around 15 kilograms.
While scientists have not found a complete skeleton to give a full picture of its appearance, Santanaraptor was likely similar to other dinosaurs like Dilong and Guanlong. It probably had long arms with three fingers and lean hind limbs.
**Where Did It Fit in the Dinosaur Family?**
At first, Santanaraptor was thought to belong to a group called maniraptorans. However, later research suggested it was actually a type of coelurosaur, an early branch of theropod dinosaurs.
Many scientists believe Santanaraptor is one of the earliest known species of tyrannosaurs from the southern continent of Gondwana.
Yet, its classification has some confusion. Some features of its feet seem to link it to other types of dinosaurs called noasaurids, making its exact family situation hard to pinpoint.
In summary, Santanaraptor is an exciting dinosaur that helps us understand more about the diversity of dinosaurs in the Early Cretaceous era.