Fun Utahraptor Facts For Kids

The Utahraptor is an Early Cretaceous dinosaur genus from present-day Utah, which is known as the largest dromaesaur that has been discovered or identified by paleontologists as of yet. These animals from North America are so impeccably famous that they are declared as the state dinosaur of Utah!

The head to foot height, as well as the body length, is astounding, as is clear from their classification as the largest dromaeosaur. These animals were not only excellent predators but also had the ability to hear low-frequency sounds exceptionally well. They are also estimated to have had excellent hearing skills, which is fortunate because paleontologists think that the genus of animals may have preyed on animals by ambushing them. Such an assumption was made mainly due to their enormous size and weight, these dinosaurs were incapable of running too fast!

While the fact that these animals resembled birds through their scanty feathers, there is no conclusive evidence that they would have evolved into a bird species in the future.

How do you pronounce 'Utahraptor'?

The name of this genus of dinosaurs is pronounced as 'you-tah-wrap-terr.'

What type of dinosaur was a Utahraptor?

Utahraptor is a genus of dromaeosaurs that belonged to the clade of theropods. These dromaeosaurids belonged to the subfamily dromaeosaurinae and are said to have been the largest raptor dinosaurs of the world.

In which geological period did the Utahraptor roam the earth?

The geological period that the type species Utahraptor ostrommaysi belonged to is the early cretaceous period. If you happen to be wondering how long ago that was, you will be astonished to know that these dromaeosaurids lived no less than 125 - 130 million years ago! It turns out the largest raptors were also one of the oldest to have lived in the world!

When did the Utahraptor become extinct?

The exact timeline as to when the Utahraptor genus may have become extinct is not clear to us since the fossil remains, as well as the holotype specimen, suggests that it may have been deposited before the end of the cretaceous period and through the natural death of the animal.

Where did a Utahraptor live?

The habitat of the Utahraptor is estimated to have consisted of floodplains and woodlands in semi-arid climatic regions. This dinosaur genus had a range of habitats that is likely also to have had marshes.

What was a Utahraptor's habitat?

Like the name of the dinosaur suggests, the fossils of this genus of dinosaurs were discovered from places around Utah. The specific areas in the Cedar Mountain Formation where the fossils were excavated were the Yellow Cat and the Poison Strip.

You will also be surprised to know that this dinosaur species from present-day North America has also been declared as the Utah state dinosaur!

Who did a Utahraptor live with?

These dromaeosaurs are estimated to have exhibited pack behavior since the fossils of more than one dinosaur of the genus have been discovered from the same site. Paleontologists infer that the Utahraptor animals hunted for prey in large packs. Thus, their classification would be that of 'pack hunters'!

How long did a Utahraptor live?

The lifespan of the Utahraptor genus from the early cretaceous age is not known. Neither do we know how long the only known species would have lived on earth since the fossils are inconclusive in this regard.

How did they reproduce?

Dinosaurs are known to have been oviparous and the Utahraptor ostromayysi (species name) fossils show no deviation from this thumb rule. The Utahraptor is hence known to have reproduced by laying eggs. Since these relatives of Deinonychus and Velociraptor had feathers on feet, legs and forelimbs, it may also be assumed that this raptor genus would have engaged in some form of courting displays during the breeding season.

What did a Utahraptor look like?

The Utahraptor skull and body give us an idea of how humongous these animals were. Equipped with a claw on each second and a strong lower jaw, these predatory dinosaurs are known to have been the largest dromaeosaurs to have been discovered as yet.

These animals are mostly seen on their feet in illustrations since they would use their feet to run instead of trying to fly - although they did have feathers much like birds do!

How many bones did a Utahraptor have?

The exact number of bones that a Utahraptor had is not clear to us, however, the height and length of the genus do tell us that these animals had quite a few bones in their ginormous bodies.

How did they communicate?

The mode of communication that is associated with dinosaurs of present-day Utah, as well as other parts of the world, is that of a harsh and loud call. Additionally, since the Utah-raptor had feathers, it can be assumed that they would be able to communicate through gestures and displays of the plumage.

How big was a Utahraptor?

The average Utahraptor height (skull to feet) would be around 5.57-6.56 ft (1.7-2 m), and the length of the body would be of around 19.68-22.96 ft (6-7 m). As you can tell, the Utahraptor size comparison places them at the top of quite a few dinosaurs. In fact, these animals from present-day Utah are declared to have been the largest dromaeosaurids!

How fast could a Utahraptor move?

The speeds at which these animals could run is not exactly known, however, paleontologists estimate that these animals may not have been the fastest, given their weight. Although, it is assumed that they were very agile when it came to hunting for prey!

How much did a Utahraptor weigh?

The average weight of these animals, based on the Utahraptor skeleton, is estimated to have been of around 1000 lb (453.59 kg)!

If you are looking for a comparison of the weight of these animals that lived 125 - 130 million years ago, it might take you by surprise that their weight would be comparable to a present-day polar bear!

What were the male and female names of the species?

Since there are no distinct names for the two sexes of the Utahraptor, we have resorted to referring to them as the male Utahraptor and female Utahraptor, respectively.

What would you call a baby Utahraptor?

Since this raptor genus is known to have been oviparous, the name assigned to a Utahraptor baby would be a hatchling. We do understand that it might feel absurd to be associating such a humongous animal that had sharp claws to such a name, but nature is wonderous!

What did they eat?

The average Utahraptor would be known as a predator in its vicinity. This predator would its claws, sharp teeth and strong jaw to catch and eat prey!

The Utahraptor claw on the second toe is known to have been sharp enough to pierce through animals!

How aggressive were they?

Dromaeosaurs such as Deinonychus, Velociraptor and this raptor from Utah are known to have been predatory. Hence, it hardly comes as a matter of surprise that these raptors were aggressive. However, since they lived in packs, it is estimated that they would have been peaceful with animals of the same family.

Did you know...

These raptors from present-day Utah are known to have had a claw on each second toe. These claws were curved and very deadly!

Like birds, the Utahraptor ostromayysi (species name) was oviparous.

The Utahraptor speed is known to have been considerably less, however, it was made up by their immense strength!

In spite of having feathers like birds do, these dinosaurs could not fly.

Utahraptors vs. other raptors

The Utahraptor was closely related to animals such as Velociraptor, Deinonychus, Achillobator and Dakotaraptor. Utahraptor, however, is known not to have been as fast as these related animals. Also, while these genera would heavily depend on their claws for hunting, the Utahraptor was instead dependent on its lower jaw and teeth!

What bird did the Utahraptor evolve into?

There is no evidence that the Utahraptor genus evolved into a bird at later stages, despite having bird-like features.

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 Utahraptor coloring pages.

*The second image was captured by Jaren Wilkey.