Comparison of the only known specimen of A.temertyorum with an 1.8 meter tall human. Click to expand.
Acheroraptor is a dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous of the United States of America. It was named in 2013 by David C. Evans and his associates. It was found out to be all the Dromaeosaurus remains in Montana, and currently remains as the only dromaeosaur in the Late Cretaceous Northwestern United States.
Physiology[]
Like its cousin, Velociraptor, Acheroraptor was a lightly-built dromaeosaur. It had a slender body, moderately long legs with a sickle-shaped claw on each foot, a long tail, long arms with 3 fingers on each hand, a moderately long neck, and a long, bird-like head with a mouth containing lots of teeth. Most of its body (excluding some of its legs and all of its snout) would have been covered in long, vaned feathers.
Diet[]
Acheroraptor was a predator, preying on small mammals, lizards, and small ornithischians. Its teeth had knife-like serrations from back to back, and its sickle claw was used for restraining prey.
Ecology[]
Acheroraptor likely had a lower leg longer than its upper leg, and so, would have likely been an effective long-distance runner. This would have allowed it to pursue many of its prey items, which all were likely capable of swift movement to some degree. Since it did not hunt any prey larger than it was, its sickle claw was used for pinning prey to the ground. In order to hunt, it would have needed to pounce on a prey item, press it to the ground with its sickle claw, and tear chunks of its flesh off while it was alive.