Sinraptor (/sɪnˈræptər/) is a genus of metriacanthosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Jurassic. The name Sinraptor comes from the Latin prefix "Sino", meaning Chinese, and "raptor" meaning robber. The specific name dongi honours Dong Zhiming. Despite its name, Sinraptor is not related to dromaeosaurids (often nicknamed "raptors") like Velociraptor. Instead, it was a carnosaur distantly related to Allosaurus.[1] Sinraptor and its close relatives were among the earliest members of the Jurassic carnosaurian radiation. Sinraptor still remains the best-known member of the family Metriacanthosauridae,[2] with some older sources even using the name "Sinraptoridae" for the family.[1]
| Sinraptor | |
|---|---|
| |
| S. dongi, Royal Tyrrell Museum | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Metriacanthosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Metriacanthosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Sinraptor Currie and Zhao, 1994 |
| Type species | |
| †Sinraptor dongi Currie and Zhao, 1994
| |
| Other species | |
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Synonyms of S. dongi
Synonyms of S. hepingensis
| |
Discovery
editThe holotype specimen of Sinraptor was uncovered from the Shishugou Formation during a joint Chinese/Canadian expedition to the northwestern Chinese desert in 1987, and described by Philip J. Currie and Zhao Xijin in 1994.[1] Standing nearly 3 meters (9.8 feet) tall and measuring roughly 7.6 meters (25 feet) in length, two species of Sinraptor have been named. S. dongi, the type species, was described by Currie and Zhao in 1994. A second species, originally named Yangchuanosaurus hepingensis by Gao in 1992,[3] may actually represent a second species of Sinraptor. Whether or not this is the case, Sinraptor and Yangchuanosaurus were close relatives, and are classified together in the family Metriacanthosauridae.[2] Gregory S. Paul proposed that S. dongi would reach 8 metres (26 ft) in length and 1.3 metric tons (1.4 short tons) in body mass,[4] while Holtz estimated it to be 8.8 metres (29 ft) in length.[5]
The dentition of Sinraptor was very similar to that of Allosaurus and indicated that it likely would have preyed upon medium-sized dinosaurs such as stegosaurs by using its blade-like teeth to inflict massive, fatal wounds.[6]
Sinraptor hepingensis, formerly referred to Yangchuanosaurus, is a second species referred to this genus.[1] However, the identity of this species within Sinraptor is questioned by other paleontologists,[7][8] and the describers of Alpkarakush included this species within Yangchuanosaurus based on their phylogenetic analysis in 2024.[9]
Paleopathology
editSinraptor dongi skull specimen IVPP 10600 exhibits "a variety of gently curving tooth drags or gouges, shallow, circular punctures and one fully penetrating lesion." One rib was broken and healed via telescoping of its capitular shaft.[10]
References
edit- ^ a b c d Currie, Phillip J.; Zhao, Xi-Jin (1993). "A new carnosaur (Dinosauria, Theropoda) from the Jurassic of Xinjiang, People's Republic of China" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 30 (10): 2037–2081. doi:10.1139/e93-179.
- ^ a b Carrano, M. T.; Benson, R. B. J.; Sampson, S. D. (2012). "The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda)". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 10 (2): 211–300. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.630927. S2CID 85354215.
- ^ Gao, Yuhui (1992). "Yangchuanosaurus hepingensis – a new species of carnosaur from Zigong, Sichuan" (PDF). Vertebrata PalAsiatica. 30 (4): 313–324.
- ^ Paul, Gregory S. (2016). The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs. Princeton University Press. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-78684-190-2. OCLC 985402380.
- ^ Holtz, Thomas R. Jr. (2012). "Dinosaurs: The Most Complete, Up-to-Date Encyclopedia for Dinosaur Lovers of All Ages" (PDF).
- ^ Hendrickx, Christophe; Stiegler, Josef; Currie, Philip J.; Han, Fenglu; Xu, Xing; Choiniere, Jonah N.; Wu, Xiao-Chun (2020). "Dental anatomy of the apex predator Sinraptor dongi (Theropoda: Allosauroidea) from the Late Jurassic of China". Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 57 (9): 1127–1147. doi:10.1139/cjes-2019-0231. hdl:11336/143527.
- ^ Carrano, M. T.; Benson, R. B. J.; Sampson, S. D. (2012). "The phylogeny of Tetanurae (Dinosauria: Theropoda)". Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. 10 (2): 211–300. Bibcode:2012JSPal..10..211C. doi:10.1080/14772019.2011.630927. S2CID 85354215.
- ^ Zanno, L. E.; Makovicky, P. J. (2013). "Neovenatorid theropods are apex predators in the Late Cretaceous of North America". Nature Communications. 4: 2827. Bibcode:2013NatCo...4.2827Z. doi:10.1038/ncomms3827. PMID 24264527.
- ^ Rauhut, Oliver W M; Bakirov, Aizek A; Wings, Oliver; Fernandes, Alexandra E; Hübner, Tom R (2024-08-01). "A new theropod dinosaur from the Callovian Balabansai Formation of Kyrgyzstan". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 201 (4). doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlae090. ISSN 0024-4082.
- ^ Molnar, R. E., 2001, Theropod paleopathology: a literature survey: In: Mesozoic Vertebrate Life, edited by Tanke, D. H., and Carpenter, K., Indiana University Press, p. 337-363.