Quck answer
Utahraptor was a carnivorous dinosaur that lived during the early Cretaceous period. It was one of the largest members of the dromaeosaurid family, and its sharp claws and teeth made it a formidable predator. Despite its fearsome reputation, Utahraptor’s existence is shrouded in mystery. Its fossils were first discovered in Utah in the 1990s, and since then, paleontologists have been piecing together the story of this killer dinosaur. Some theories suggest that Utahraptor hunted in packs, while others propose that it was a solitary hunter. Regardless of its hunting habits, one thing is clear: Utahraptor was a top predator in its ecosystem.
Extinct Animals
It wasn’t until 1975 that the first Utahraptor fossils were discovered, and paleontologists were initially unsure of their significance. Kostyantyn Ivanyshen/Getty Images/Stocktrek Images
Let’s be honest: We’re a tad envious of the approximately 9,600 inhabitants of Grand County, Utah. You see, their locality is the only known place on Earth where the remains of an incredible, bear-sized predator have been found.
This predator is none other than the Utahraptor, a carnivorous dinosaur with terrifying claws that lived some 135 million years ago and is linked to “Jurassic Park” in various ways.
What’s more, Utahraptor could grow to be 15, 18, or even 23 feet long (i.e. 4.65, 5.48, or 7 meters). This made it significantly larger than any “raptor” featured in Stephen Spielberg’s movies.
And as far as we know, the fossils of Utahraptor are entirely exclusive to Grand County.
The Land of Dinosaurs
Utah is a prime location for dinosaur exploration. Fossils representing over 115 species of dinosaur have been found within the state’s boundaries. Most of these species were not identified until recently, that is, within the last 29 years. Truly, paleontology is currently experiencing a golden age in the Rocky Mountain West.
The eventual home of the Great Salt Lake and the Jazz basketball team looked completely different when the Utahraptor reigned supreme.
Some 135 million years ago, the Jurassic Period of Earth’s geological history came to an end, followed by the Cretaceous Period, which lasted until a mass extinction event occurred 66 million years before the present day. This event wiped out the last of the dinosaurs (excluding birds).
Utahraptor lived early in the Cretaceous. At that point, Utah’s landscape was undergoing significant change, thanks in large part to salt, everyone’s favorite pretzel topping.
Without salt, we may never have known about the existence of the Utahraptor.
Time and Salt
Long before the first dinosaurs arrived, there was a deep basin along what is now the border between Utah and Colorado. Seawater flowed in and left behind enormous piles of salt that were thousands of feet (i.e. hundreds and hundreds of meters) tall.
Rocky debris subsequently covered the salt beds. As time passed, the underground salt deposits began to get deformed by the weight of this overlying material.
Parts of Utah’s terrain were raised up by the moving salt, while other areas underwent subsidence and became naturally depressed.
Grand County was one of these places where underground salt movement, or “salt tectonics,” created vast depressions across the landscape. Early in the Cretaceous, these depressions became home to vibrant ponds and lakes.
It was a perfect environment for future fossils.
North America was relatively arid at that time, and erosion was rampant. However, the influx of water and sediment to low-elevation lakes in this area did an excellent job of burying and preserving the bodies of dead animals.
Dead animals such as the Utahraptor, for example.
The first Utahraptor fossils on record were unearthed by paleontologist Jim Jensen of Brigham Young University in 1975. This Utahraptor skeleton is part of BYU’s Museum of Paleontology.
Wikimedia/(CC BY-SA 4.0)
Flora and Fauna
The two oldest groups of Cretaceous dinosaurs in the entire North American fossil record are both preserved in rocks located in Grand County. We can thank salt tectonics once again for this.
According to Utah’s official state paleontologist James “Jim” Kirkland, about 135 million years ago in Grand County, there were lakes and ponds that were uniquely preserved and filled with lungfish, chainmail covered bony fish, and spiny sharks due to local subsidence. The Utahraptor was an important member of that ecosystem, and it hunted iguanodonts and young sauropods while the heavily spined and armored Gastonia watched. All of these dinosaurs had a vegetarian diet since there were no flowering plants on this landscape dominated by conifers, cycads, and ferns.
The largest and most massively built dromaeosaur was Utahraptor, with an estimated weight of 617 to 800 pounds, which would have rivaled a large black bear or small grizzly in size. In contrast, the infamous Velociraptor likely weighed only 83 pounds and was a small-bodied predator from Late Cretaceous Asia, unlike its Hollywood namesake. Utahraptor had sickle-shaped claws on each foot, which were held upright as the animal walked and included a core of bone measuring up to 8.7 inches long. Experts say that Utahraptor’s arsenal was rounded out with long, claw-tipped arms and a mouthful of serrated teeth, all the better for tearing flesh.
The first Utahraptor fossils were discovered by paleontologist Jim Jensen of Brigham Young University in 1975, but it was not until 1991 when a team led by Kirkland dug up another set of raptor bones that they were identified as Utahraptor. The creature’s full scientific name, Utahraptor ostrommaysi, was given in 1993 by Kirkland and his colleagues, saluting dromaeosaur expert John Ostrom and animatronics creator Chris Mays. Although scientists considered naming the dino “Utahraptor spielbergi” after a certain movie director, that never happened. As of this writing, Utahraptor has yet to make an appearance in any “Jurassic Park” film, but it did play a supporting role in an episode of the BBC’s “Walking With Dinosaurs” TV series and was the subject of a 1996 novel called “Raptor Red” by dino expert Robert Bakker.
A large excavator is pulling a 9-ton (8.2 metric-ton) sandstone block filled with dinosaur bones from Stikes Quarry in eastern Utah. The block contains the remains of at least one adult Utahraptor, 10 juveniles, and three babies.
Utah Geological Survey
The Dinosaur Trap
Actual discoveries have overshadowed fictional stories. The remains of Utahraptor have been found in four different locations in Grand County. One of these sites has produced a sandstone “megablock” weighing 9 tons (8.2 metric tons) filled with a variety of dinosaur bones.
According to researchers, this is likely a Cretaceous-era burial ground where dinosaurs were trapped in a substance similar to quicksand.
While there are some iguanodont bones present, the focus is on the raptor material. The block has provided fossils from “dozens” of individual Utahraptor, with many of them being babies or juveniles, which could help us better understand how this formidable predator matured.
As of the beginning of 2021, fossil preparators had spent over 3,500 hours carefully unearthing bone after bone from the block. Anyone who wishes to support their work can find details on the Utah Geological Survey’s official website.
Now That’s Interesting
In 2018, Utahraptor was designated as the official state dinosaur of Utah (no surprise there!). Interestingly, the Beehive State also has an official fossil, the Allosaurus, a carnivore from the Late Jurassic period. But who’s complaining?
FAQ
1. What is Utahraptor?
Utahraptor is a genus of large dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur that lived in North America during the Early Cretaceous period, approximately 126 million years ago. It is one of the largest known dromaeosaurids, with an estimated length of up to 7 meters and a weight of around 500 kilograms.
2. How did Utahraptor get its name?
The name Utahraptor comes from the state of Utah, where the first fossils of this dinosaur were discovered in 1991. The name also reflects the fact that Utahraptor was a member of the raptor family, a group of theropod dinosaurs known for their sharp claws and predatory behavior.
3. What were the physical characteristics of Utahraptor?
Utahraptor had a sleek, bird-like skull with sharp teeth and a large, curved claw on each foot. Its body was covered in feathers, and it had a long, stiff tail for balance. Utahraptor also had long, powerful legs that enabled it to run at high speeds and jump great distances.
4. How did Utahraptor hunt its prey?
Utahraptor was a skilled predator that likely hunted in packs. It used its sharp claws to grasp and hold onto its prey while using its teeth to deliver fatal bites. Utahraptor’s speed and agility also made it a formidable hunter, as it could quickly chase down and capture its prey.
5. What other dinosaurs lived alongside Utahraptor?
Utahraptor shared its habitat with a variety of other dinosaurs, including the long-necked sauropod dinosaur Cedarosaurus, the horned dinosaur Diabloceratops, and the armored dinosaur Gastonia. These dinosaurs coexisted in a lush, tropical environment that was rich in plant and animal life.
6. How are Utahraptor fossils studied and preserved?
Utahraptor fossils are carefully excavated and studied by paleontologists to learn more about the behavior and anatomy of this fascinating dinosaur. Once the fossils are removed from the ground, they are cleaned and prepared for display in museums and other educational settings. Some fossils are also used to create casts and replicas for scientific research and public education.
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