Dineobellator

Navajo warrior (Diné warrior)

• Diné · Navajo · the Navajo people (the name the Navajo use for themselves)
• bellator · Latin · warrior

The name combines "Diné", the Navajo people's name for themselves, with the Latin "bellator", meaning warrior. It honours the Navajo Nation, on whose land in New Mexico the fossils were found. The full name of the type species, Dineobellator notohesperus, means "southwestern Navajo warrior".

Named by

Jasinski, Dalman and Lucas

Year named

2020

Period

Late Cretaceous

Stage

Maastrichtian

Found in

Ojo Alamo Formation, San Juan Basin, New Mexico, USA

A small feathered dromaeosaurid theropod (raptor). It is known from partial remains, and its forelimbs show strong muscle attachments, which may have helped it grip prey.