Species · GBIF taxon 4966333
Austroraptor cabazai
Austroraptor cabazaiAustroraptor cabazai was a remarkably large unenlagiine dromaeosaurid characterized by a low, elongated snout lined with small, conical teeth suited for gripping slippery aquatic prey. Unlike northern raptors with powerful grasping forearms, its arms were unusually short and reduced relative to its substantial body size. Roaming the floodplains and coastal lagoons of Late Cretaceous Patagonia, it functioned as an agile, mid-tier predator filling an ecological niche distinct from heavier contemporaneous abelisaurids.
PrehistoricCarnivorous
—observations
—countries
—peak records
ExtinctConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXExtinctRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Freshwater fish
- Small ornithopods
- Sauropod hatchlings
Predators
- Abelisaurids
- Large crocodyliforms
ThreatsCretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, ecological shifts
HabitatsRiparian floodplains, coastal marshes, estuary lowlands
Life span15–25 years
Classification
- FamilyDromaeosauridae
- SpeciesAustroraptor cabazai
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Extinct species; safely observed only through fossil exhibits and skeletal reconstructions.
Responsible observation
- Museum curation: Observe skeletal mounts and cast reconstructions in natural history institutions.
- Field research: Learn about ongoing fossil discoveries originating from the Allen Formation in Río Negro, Argentina.
Neighbor Rique / CC0 · cc0
Close Relative Eduard Solà / CC BY-SA 3.0 · cc-by-sa
Image unavailableClose Relative 
Same Family shankar s. / CC BY 2.0 · cc-by
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