Fun Bambiraptor Facts For Kids

Modern-day birds are the descendents of earlier birds from million years ago. One such species from our natural history is the Bambiraptor feinbergi.

The Bambiraptor is from the Late Cretaceous period, which is around 75 million years ago. According to paleontologists because of their small size, they are known as sauronitholestes. The story of the discovery of the skeleton is also very interesting.

This Theropoda was recovered by a 14 year old boy in their family backyard in Montana. The fossils which were found were unlike any other small mammals present in the museum or known by paleontologists.

The specimen is named after a famous Disney character because they are tiny and bipedal. Both juvenile and adult fossils have been discovered and today they rest in the Glacier National Museum.

The meaning of their scientific name is 'Bambi thief' and research on this species is under scientists such as David Burnham and Wes Linster. Their bird-like feathers and features are almost replicas of modern birds. They are also known as a ferocious hunter and even though they're very tiny, they are very aggressive according to Ostrom.

To learn more about such mammals, check out our exciting articles on the Savannasaurus and the Ledumahadi.

Bambiraptor Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Bambiraptor'?

Small dinosaurs like the Bambiraptor were always covered in feathers, according to paleontologists. It's very easy to pronounce this meat-eating dinosaur. You can follow this simple guide and it pronounce it like 'BAMBI-raptor'.

What type of dinosaur was a Bambiraptor?

There are many features in the body of this dinosaur from North America, which makes it different from other dinosaurs. The brain size of this dinosaur, which we know from the fossil of the Bambiraptor, was very small when compared to the brain size of most modern birds.

This species is a discovery made by Wes Linster and the only known specimen is a juvenile. This bird-like dinosaur is found near Glacier National Park, and they are known as a dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur.

In which geological period did the Bambiraptor roam the earth?

The natural history of the Bambiraptor suggests that they existed around 75 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous time. This Dromaeosauridae is the only known fossil found, which is of a juvenile. The name Bambirapto means 'Bambi thief'.

When did the Bambiraptor become extinct?

A bunch of dinosaur families and mammals from these times are not present anymore due to natural calamities. Asteroid collisions and a relatively warmer temperature made the surroundings inhabitable and these are the main reasons why these large dinosaurs don't exist anymore.

Where did a Bambiraptor live?

The Bambiraptor was named by Burnham and their fossils rest in the National Museum in the Glacier National Park. We can assume by looking into their natural history that the Bambiraptor lived in North America. Regions such as Montana and even Florida were very compatible with this dinosaur.

What was a Bambiraptor's habitat?

The Bambiraptor is a hunter and they look bird-like. The survival of this dinosaur depended on hunting small mammals.

They could have lived near areas where there were such species of mammals that could be hunted by this carnivore dinosaur. Although, studies on the discovered skeleton reveal that they lived and hunted in groups. These dinosaurs lived in tropical areas and dense forests, where there was a rich amount of prey.

Who did a Bambiraptor live with?

They lived in packs rather than on their own. Like birds of today's world, they aere very tiny with brain smaller than the size of birds we find today.

Described by Burnham, this dinosaur from Montana lived in a group. This was also discovered in the national park of Montana. Birds such as short-eared owls and nightingale are some of the birds which share some characteristics with this theropoda.

How long did a Bambiraptor live?

Studies on this specimen reveal that this species lived up to 12-15 years. The natural history of the Bambiraptor also shows that this lifespan was similar for other dinosaurs in this genus family.

How did they reproduce?

 The juvenile found in the fossil discovery was very near to any bird that we see today. The feathers, bones, and skeleton were in good condition and were very reliable.

This dinosaur family reproduced by laying eggs and they incubated their young with their feathers. A lot of information about the Bambiraptor dinosaur can be known by visiting the National Museum.

Bambiraptor Fun Facts

What did a Bambiraptor look like?

A juvenile Bambi had a of length 3 ft (0.9 m). During the Cretaceous period from their natural history, it can be known that they were fast runners as they had long hindlimbs and a very long arm with a well-developed wishbone.

The fossil found had around three fingers and a forelimb, giving them the ability to hold food while eating. Not much is known about the bones of these dinosaurs but their lower jawbones and wishbones were very significant.

They had a large brain-to-body ratio, which is not seen in an average bird of today's world. The National Oark Museum has an almost complete fossil of these dinosaurs.

How many bones did a Bambiraptor have?

The total number of bones in this dinosaur is not known, as we only have 95% of their structure as discovered by Ostrom. The majority of the bones found were not deformed and are well preserved in the museum among the skeletons of other dinosaurs.

How did they communicate?

This dinosaur communicated the way any bird from today's time would. They use vocal calls, along with some signs as well. It's known from the natural history of various dinosaur families that dinosaurs that lived in a group often communicated efficiently through vocals.

How big was a Bambiraptor?

This dinosaur was around 3 ft (0.9 m) in length. They are almost the same in size when compared to a dodo. The Bambiraptor dinosaur is a little smaller than a crane.

How fast could a Bambiraptor move?

A Bambiraptor could move very fast. They had long hindlimbs and a well-developed wishbone which tells us that they were good runners.

How much did a Bambiraptor weigh?

This dinosaur weighs=ed around 7 lb (3.17 kg). An adult Bambiraptor could have weighed even more because this weight is an estimate of a juvenile fossil.

What were the male and female names of the species?

Both sexes have the same name.

What would you call a baby Bambiraptor?

A baby Bambiraptor is either called a nestling or a hatchling, like reptile babies.

What did they eat?

They were a species of carnivore dinosaurs and they often hunted down any small animal they saw such as birds, reptiles, or other smaller dinosaurs. As they often hunted in groups, it was also possible for this dinosaur to hunt down a slightly bigger dinosaur.

How aggressive were they?

They were very aggressive and this is mentioned in the National Park Museum. Even though this dinosaur appeared to be very small and they had adorable feathers, they could become aggressive when it came to food and defending territories.

Did you know...

The brain size of the Bambiraptor is smaller compared to most birds. Researchers believe that current birds have a larger brain because of the life in between trees.

What modern animal is the Bambiraptor closely related to?

Almost all modern birds are closely related to the Bambiraptor.

Where was the Bambiraptor found?

The first fossil of this dinosaur was found near the Glacier National Park in Montana.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other creatures from our black dragonfish facts and sally Lightfoot crab facts for kids.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable Bambiraptor coloring pages.

Main image by Ballista

Second image by PaleoEquii