Dracoraptor

dragon robber (dragon plunderer)

• draco · Latin · dragon
• raptor · Latin · robber, plunderer, seizer

The name combines the Latin word for "dragon" with "raptor", meaning plunderer or robber. The "dragon" part refers to the red dragon on the flag of Wales, where the fossils were found. The type species, D. hanigani, honours Nick Hanigan, one of the fossil collectors who discovered the specimen.

Named by

Martill et al.

Year named

2016

Period

Early Jurassic

Stage

Hettangian

Found in

Lavernock Point, near Penarth, Glamorgan, Wales, UK (Lower Jurassic Blue Lias Formation)

A small early theropod (a basal neotheropod), known from partial skeletons. It is one of the few Welsh dinosaurs and one of the oldest Jurassic theropods from the UK.