Fun Halszkaraptor Facts For Kids

Halszkaraptor is one of the small-sized genera of a dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur, that was alive during the late Cretaceous period more than 75 million years ago. This genus contains only one known species called Halszkaraptor escuilliei from present-day Mongolia.

According to the phylogenetic analysis, it was found out that this theropod was a member of the subfamily Halszkaraptorinae along with others such as Hulsanpes and Mahakala.

The holotype Halszkaraptor fossils have been compared by the scientists with the bones of present aquatic to semi-aquatic birds and crocodilians and were able to find evidence of their semi-aquatic lifestyle.

The Halszkaraptor size when compared to semi-aquatic and aquatic birds is similar to a duck, and had the same characteristics that allowed these birds to spend time both on land and in water.

With the help of their strong hindlimb, they could run on the ground and their small flipper-like forelimbs helped them in swimming in the water.

According to the publication by the Nature' documentary a doubt has been cast about the aquatic abilities of these specimen. The documentary indicated that these birds showed the pattern of the maniraptorans, which had traits with no recognizable aquatic tendency.

If you liked these true facts about the Halszkaraptor, then you'll surely like these facts about Harpactognathus and Incisivosaurus too!

Halszkaraptor Interesting Facts

How do you pronounce 'Halszkaraptor'?

This genus of the dromaeosaurid dinosaur family is pronounced as 'hull-shka-raptor'.

What type of dinosaur was a Halszkaraptor?

It is one of the small-sized dromaeosaurid dinosaurs, from the Djadochta Formation at Ukhaa Tolgod.

In which geological period did the Halszkaraptor roam the earth?

Halszkaraptor was considered to be alive around 70-86 million years ago.

The discovered holotype skeleton was illegally removed by fossil poachers which were owned by many collectors from Japan and Great Britain until the fossil was obtained by dealers known as Eldonia company of François Escuillié and sent to the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences in Brussels where it was identified as a new species in the year 2015.

When did the Halszkaraptor become extinct?

Halszkaraptor became extinct during the late cretaceous period around 86 million years ago.

Where did a Halszkaraptor live?

The remains of the Halszkaraptor escuilliei were discovered from the late cretaceous period from the Djadochta Formation at Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia.

What was a Halszkaraptor's habitat?

The Halszkaraptor habitat is unknown as they went extinct around 86 million years ago along with other genera that are close relatives and not much content is available to make estimations.

Who did a Halszkaraptor live with?

Due to the lack of data, it is unknown whether the Halszkaraptor lived alone, in pairs, or in groups. As the Halszkaraptor skeleton was found from the Ukhaa Tolgod, it indicates that these creatures lived in small groups.

How long did a Halszkaraptor live?

The exact lifespan of the Halszkaraptor dinosaurs is unknown to the world as they went extinct from the face of the earth millions of years ago. The exact extinction date of this genus is still unknown.

How did they reproduce?

Due to the extinction of the genus Halszkaraptor and lack of information about their reproduction, it is difficult to know how they mate, but it is believed that the specimen lays eggs like most other dinosaurs with regards to the fossil remains discoveries.

Halszkaraptor Fun Facts

What did a Halszkaraptor look like?

Halszkaraptor was a small-sized dromaeosaurid dinosaur, which was similar in size to a mallard duck. It has a long 7.87 in (20 cm) neck, head 2.75 in (7 cm) long, 5.11 in (13 cm) long back, and 2 in (5 cm) long sacrum.

These species showed few distinguishing traits such as they were autapomorphies, their front snout bone, and premaxilla formed a flat snout, the jugal bone was a rod-shaped and small tail. These birds had elongated necks longer than their body.

Halszkaraptor had some unique traits that helped them to spend time on both water and on land. Their short tail helped them to maintain the center of gravity and move forward while swimming and catching fish.

The head of these birds showed distinctiveness in hunting aquatic prey. The traits such as the snout being round in shape like a spoon help in increasing the surface area to capture fish. The premaxilla bones had eleven teeth each of which described them as a dinosaur.

How many bones did a Halszkaraptor have?

The holotype specimen that was found from layers of orange sandstones dating from the late Cretaceous period about more than 75 million years ago consisted of a proportionately complete skeleton along with the skull of a subadult.

How did they communicate?

Due to the lack of data, the communication process of the Halszkaraptor is still unknown.

How big was a Halszkaraptor?

Halszkaraptor was a small-sized semi-aquatic dromaeosaurid dinosaur that obtained a total length of 23.6 in (60 cm), which included the 2.7 in (7 cm) long skull, a 7.8 in (20 cm) long neck, 5.1 in (13 cm) long back, and a 1.9 in (5 cm) long sacrum.

How fast could a Halszkaraptor move?

Due to the lack of data, it is unfeasible to point out the accurate moving speed of the Halszkaraptor. Though with the help of the evidence found it is known that these creatures were able to fly, swim in the water and run fast on the ground with the help of their strong legs.

How much did a Halszkaraptor weigh?

These semi-aquatic cormorant-mimicking raptors, Halszkaraptor use to weigh around 1.6-3.5 lb (0.72–1.6 kg).

What were the male and female names of the species?

No specific name has been assigned or allotted to either sex of this genus.

What would you call a baby Halszkaraptor?

A baby Halszkaraptor is called a baby dinosaur as there is no specific name assigned to them.

What did they eat?

Halszkaraptor was a member of the subfamily Halszkaraptorinae and was known to be carnivores that mostly feed on fish and other small birds.

How aggressive were they?

Due to the lack of data, it is impossible to say whether this animal's nature was aggressive or peaceful creatures.

Did you know...

In the year 2017, Andrea Cau conducted a phylogenetic analysis along with the help of updated data of the Theropod Working Group found that the Halszkaraptorinae were the lowermost known dromaeosaurid group.

This strange duck-size creature was dug out by the poachers from the Djadochta Formation in Mongolia, after millions of years of being entombed in the layer of sandstones and was smuggled out of the country reaching Japan and later on Great Britain.

More than five percent of known dinosaur species have been found in present-day Mongolia which has outlawed the export of fossils.

While exporting the fossil, the illegal poachers have exposed the left side of the skeleton.

With the help of the synchrotron, it was revealed that the bones which were found continued into the rock and were not a chimera, the snout had been partially destroyed but with the help of plaster it was restored along with some other elements were reaffixed by glue.

The most powerful modern particle accelerators use versions of the synchrotron design.

When was Halszkaraptor discovered?

The holotype skeleton of this semi-aquatic species was recovered from the Djadochta Formation at Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia, and was named and described by scientists Vincent Beyrand, Dennis F. A. E. Voeten, Andrea Cau, Pascal Godefroit, Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar, Koen Stein, Philip John Currie, Paul Tafforeau, Vincent Fernandez and Rinchen Barsbold in the year 2017.

What dinosaurs did ducks evolve from?

Dromaeosauridae was an extensive group of theropod dinosaurs that were alive during the late Jurassic period, these avialans were ascendants of duck and also consist of more than ten thousand species of living birds.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly dinosaur facts for everyone to discover! For more relatable content, check out these Yinlong facts and Heterodontosaurus facts pages.

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

The first image is by Ghedoghedo.

The second image is by Tomopteryx.