Dromaeosaurus
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{{Taxobox
| color = pink
| name = Dromaeosaurus
| status = Conservation status: Fossil
| regnum = Animalia
| phylum = Chordata
| classis = Sauropsida
| ordo = Saurischia
| familia = Dromaeosauridae
| genus = Dromaeosaurus
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
D. albertensis (type species)
D. cristatus
D. explanatus
D. gracilis
}}
Dromaeosaurus (drom-ee-oh-SAWR-us) meaning "running lizard" (Greek dromaios = swift-runner + sauros = lizard) is a wolf-sized theropod dinosaur from the Late Cretaceous (Upper Campanian) of Alberta, Canada. It is known from a partial skull and other bones (foot fragments, ribs) collected in what is now Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, as well as dozens of isolated teeth.
Characteristics
Dromaeosaurus differs from most other Dromaeosauridae in having a short, massive skull, a deep mandible, and large, robust teeth. In these respects Dromaeosaurus resembled the tyrannosaurs. A few bones are known from the hindlimb, and they indicate that Dromaeosaurus was a powerfully built animal. Exactly how it lived and what it ate are still open to speculation. The teeth show fairly heavy wear and chipping, and seem to have been used for crushing and tearing more than slicing through flesh; it is possible that Dromaeosaurus was more of a scavenger than other small theropods. It was probably better suited to tackling large prey than the more lightly built Saurornitholestes.
The relationships of Dromaeosaurus are unclear. Although its rugged build gives it a primitive appearance, it is actually a very specialized animal. It is usually given its own subfamily, the Dromaeosaurinae; this group is thought to include Utahraptor, Achillobator, Adasaurus and perhaps Deinonychus. However, the relationships of dromaeosaurs are still in a state of flux. "Dromaeosaurus Morphotype A" is the designation given to a series of unusual, ridged dromaeosaur teeth from Alberta. These teeth probably do not belong to Dromaeosaurus, although it is unclear what animal they do come from.
The type species is D. albertensis. The other species, lacking in material, may well be synonymous with it.
References
- Matthew, W. D. and B. Brown (1922). The family Deinodontidae, with notice of a new genus from Cretaceous of Alberta. Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 66: 367-385.
- Colbert, E. and D. A. Russell (1969). The small Cretaceous dinosaur Dromaeosaurus. American Museum Novitates 2380: 1-49.
- Currie, P. J., K. J. Rigby, et al. (1990). Theropod teeth from the Judith River Formation of southern Alberta, Canada. Dinosaur Systematics: Perspectives and Approaches. P. J. Currie and K. Carpenter. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press: 107-125.
- Currie, P. J. (1995). New information on the anatomy and relationships of Dromaeosaurus albertensis (Dinosauria: Theropoda). Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology 15(3): 576-591.de:Dromaeosaurus