New Megaraptor Identified: Fossilized Footprints Suggest Largest Raptor Yet

A group of paleontologists has made an intriguing discovery in southeastern China that could reshape our understanding of prehistoric raptors. The researchers believe they have found evidence of a new megaraptor, one of the largest raptors ever known to science, based on a set of fossilized footprints. This finding challenges previous notions of the size and scale of these ancient predators.

The Fossilized Footprints

The footprints were unearthed in 2020 in an area that, some 90 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period, was a muddy river plain teeming with diverse dinosaur species. Among the various tracks left behind, the team of scientists identified footprints that they believe belonged to a megaraptor, a substantially larger type of raptor than the well-known Velociraptors.

Implications of the Discovery

If the researchers' estimations are accurate, this new megaraptor would have been significantly larger than its Velociraptor counterparts, challenging the popularized portrayal of raptors in media and popular culture. The findings have been detailed in a paper published in iScience, shedding new light on the diversity and size range of raptors during the Late Cretaceous period.