Fun Geminiraptor Facts For Kids

Geminiraptor is a genus of raptors that have a rather interesting name. The species, Geminiraptor suarezarum, was named after the twins that discovered their remains from a site called Cedar Mountain Formation in Utah. This animal species is known to have belonged to the Early Cretaceous period, making them ancestors to the better-known Troodontid theropods of the Later Cretaceous.

The research about this dinosaur is purely based on the observations that have been made from the single fossil that was excavated from the site. This fossil, a maxilla, suggests that the genus had the large number of teeth that Troodontids are classified and characterized by!

If you happen to be wondering if Troodontids were real and if at all they could be related to raptors, we think you have already found your answer!

How do you pronounce 'Geminiraptor '?

We pronounce the name of this ancient animal as 'Gem-ee-nigh-wrap-ter'.

What type of dinosaur was a Geminiraptor?

The Geminiraptor was a Troodontid dinosaur from the lower Cretaceous Utah. The classification of this animal as a Troodontid is based on the discovery of the fossilized upper jaw or maxilla.

In which geological period did the Geminiraptor roam the earth?

The geological period that the Geminiraptor belonged to was the lower Cretaceous of Utah, based on the soil specimens discovered by the twin sisters, Celina Suarez and Marina Suarez, at the excavated site.

When did the Geminiraptor become extinct?

The exact timeline as to when the Cretaceous period of the earth came to an end is not known, however, it is estimated to have been around 63 million years ago. However, this timeline may not be true for this genus of dinosaurs, since they were fairly old and may have become extinct due to evolution.

Where did a Geminiraptor live?

The Geminiraptor suarezarum is estimated to have lived in areas that were mid-arid. The climatic conditions, as suggested to the debris that has been discovered, suggest that there were floodplain prairies, riverine forests, and woodlands in the areas that these animals lived in.

What was a Geminiraptor's habitat?

The fossil remains (maxilla) of the Geminiraptor suggest that this animal lived during the lower Cretaceous of Utah (present-day). They show a marked difference from the Troodontids of the Early Cretaceous and hence are estimated to have been of greater age.

Since the remains of the species have only been found at the Cedar Mountain Formation in Utah, the Geminiraptor suarezarum is known to have been endemic to this area of North America, however, this assumption may change if more fossils are discovered.

Who did a Geminiraptor live with?

While we hardly know exactly how these dinosaurs would behave in a society, we do know that some Troodontids preferred to live in small groups. Some members of the Troodontidae family are even known to have been skittish since, in spite of their small size, these dinosaurs were fairly small and could easily be hunted by larger dinosaurs.

How long did a Geminiraptor live?

The average age that a typical dinosaur of the Geminiraptor genus would reach is not known. However, since these animals were so different from Early Cretaceous Troodontids, it may be assumed that evolution or the natural selection in nature may have led to the extinction of the species before the end of the lower Cretaceous of Utah.

How did they reproduce?

Dinosaurs are known to have been oviparous, and hence, the genus Geminiraptor is also estimated to have reproduced by laying eggs. Some other Troodontids are in fact also known for their ability to lay several eggs in one clutch, since they had two functional oviducts!

What did a Geminiraptor look like?

The appearance of the average Geminiraptor is a matter of speculation, since the attributes and features of this genus are defined by the single maxilla that was found at the excavation site. These animals are said to have been larger than the Troodontids and raptor species from the Late Cretaceous, and way smaller than the dinosaurs that we usually hear of.

Geminiraptor was a bipedal genus and mostly used its hind legs to run. The maxilla of this raptor also suggests that it may have been closely related to Sinovenator.

*Please note that this is a Sinovenator, which is considered to be a closely related genus. If you have the illustration of a Geminiraptor, let us know at [email protected].

How many bones did a Geminiraptor have?

The total number of bones that the adult dinosaur of the Geminiraptor genus had is not known, since the entire skeleton is yet to be discovered. The holotype specimen is a maxilla that was discovered by twin sisters - namely Celine Suarez and Marina Suarez. Although, since these dinosaurs were larger than those of the Early Cretaceous period of North America, it may be assumed that they had fewer bones.

How did they communicate?

The exact mode of communication used by the bipedal Geminiraptor dinosaur can hardly be estimated, but Troodontids are estimated to have had shrill calls. Since dinosaurs of this family also had feathers, it is sometimes assumed that they would be capable of communicating through an elaborate show of feathers!

How big was a Geminiraptor?

The length of an average Geminiraptor suarezarum from North America is estimated to have been around 4.9 ft (1.5 m). This makes them at least three times smaller than a Spinosaurusand almost the same size as an Oviraptor.

How fast could a Geminiraptor move?

Troodontids of smaller sizes are known to have been skittish and very agile. It is assumed that they would be capable of running very fast on the two strong hind legs, and given the estimated size of these animals, it is likely that they would also have been very fast runners!

How much did a Geminiraptor weigh?

The average weight of a dinosaur of the Geminiraptor suarezarum species would be of around 2.27-9.1 lb (5-20.1 kg)!

What were the male and female names of the species?

Unfortunately, there are no distinct names for the sexes of this new Troodontid theropod dinosaur species, and so, we have chosen to refer to them as the male Geminiraptor and female Geminiraptor.

What would you call a baby Geminiraptor?

The baby Geminiraptor would be called a hatchling, since these dinosaurs, like those of the Early Cretaceous period, are known to have been oviparous!

What did they eat?

The diet of Troodontids, in spite of them being such small creatures of the age, is known to have been carnivorous. Such classification is inspired by the many teeth that this dinosaur family is estimated to have had. The maxilla fossil found by the Suarez twin sisters suggests that Geminiraptor suarezarum was no exception to the diet pattern of the classification.

Dinosaurs of this species would feed on small mammals, dinosaur eggs, and on other small dinosaurs.

How aggressive were they?

It is unlikely that animals of the Troodontid family classification would have been aggressive in nature, because they are known to have preferred living in the company of their own kind. Moreover, the small size of these animals does not allow too much of an aggressive nature!

Did you know...

This relatively new Troodontid Theropod dinosaur from the lower Cretaceous Cedar Mountain Formation is known to have been larger than the other raptor genera of the Late Cretaceous period.

Sinovenator is a close relative of the species Geminiraptor suarezarum.

The only fossil of this raptor species is a maxilla or upper jaw, that was excavated from a site in present day Utah.

Troodons are known to have had certain similarities with Dromaeosaurs, since they belonged to the same clade. They also have general form similarities to raptors.

What does Geminiraptor mean?

Geminiraptor genus was named after the twin sisters, Marina Suarez and Celina Suarez, who excavated remains of this new troodontid theropod dinosaur from the site known as Cedar Mountain Formation in North America. 'Gemini' means twins, which refers to the twins that discovered this ancient species, 'raptor" means thief, which refers to the tendencies of the animal and 'suarezarum" has been derived from the last name of Marina and Celina Suarez.

Was Geminiraptor bipedal?

Geminiraptor was a bipedal theropod troodontid dinosaur from the lower Cretaceous, whose fossil remains have been excavated from present-day North America.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover!

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

Main image Nobu Tamura and second image by Conty.