Halszkaraptor
Extinct genus of dinosaurs
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Key Takeaways
- Halszkaraptor ( ; meaning "Halszka's seizer") is a genus of waterfowl-like dromaeosaurid dinosaurs from Mongolia that lived during the Late Cretaceous period.
- The type specimen (holotype) has been compared to the bones of extant crocodilians and aquatic birds, and displayed evidence of a semiaquatic lifestyle, while some researchers question a semiaquatic ecology.
- History of discovery The holotype specimen of Halszkaraptor likely came from the Djadochta Formation at Ukhaa Tolgod in southern Mongolia, and was illegally removed by fossil poachers in or before 2011.
- He identified it as a new species, and in 2015 took it to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, showing it to paleontologists Pascal Godefroit and Andrea Cau for further verification.
- The fossil was returned to the Mongolian authorities.
Halszkaraptor (; meaning "Halszka's seizer") is a genus of waterfowl-like dromaeosaurid dinosaurs from Mongolia that lived during the Late Cretaceous period. It contains only one known species, Halszkaraptor escuilliei.
The type specimen (holotype) has been compared to the bones of extant crocodilians and aquatic birds, and displayed evidence of a semiaquatic lifestyle, while some researchers question a semiaquatic ecology. A phylogenetic analysis revealed it was a member of the basal subfamily Halszkaraptorinae, along with Mahakala and Hulsanpes.
History of discovery
The holotype specimen of Halszkaraptor likely came from the Djadochta Formation at Ukhaa Tolgod in southern Mongolia, and was illegally removed by fossil poachers in or before 2011. The fossil found its way to Japan and Great Britain, being owned by several collectors for some years until the Eldonia company of fossil dealer François Escuillié obtained it. He identified it as a new species, and in 2015 took it to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels, showing it to paleontologists Pascal Godefroit and Andrea Cau for further verification. After verifying its authenticity, among other means by scanning it with synchrotron radiation, a beam of X-rays, at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Cau and other prominent paleontologists described the genus in a detailed study published in the journal Nature. The fossil was returned to the Mongolian authorities.
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