| Sinraptor | |
|---|---|
 | |
| S. dongi,Royal Tyrrell Museum | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Reptilia |
| Clade: | Dinosauria |
| Clade: | Saurischia |
| Clade: | Theropoda |
| Family: | †Metriacanthosauridae |
| Subfamily: | †Metriacanthosaurinae |
| Genus: | †Sinraptor Currie and Zhao, 1994 |
| Type species | |
| †Sinraptor dongi Currie and Zhao,1994 | |
| Other species | |
| Synonyms | |
Synonyms ofS. dongi
Synonyms ofS. hepingensis
| |
Sinraptor (/sɪnˈræptər/) is agenus ofmetriacanthosauridtheropoddinosaur from theShishugou Formation China.Sinraptor and its close relatives were among the earliest members of the Jurassic carnosaurian radiation.Sinraptor still remains the best-known member of thefamily Metriacanthosauridae,[1] with some older sources even using the name "Sinraptoridae" for the family.[2]
Theholotype specimen ofSinraptor was uncovered from theShishugou Formation during a joint Chinese/Canadian expedition to the northwestern Chinese desert in 1987 and described byPhilip J. Currie and Zhao Xijin in 1994.[2] Standing nearly 3 meters (9.8 feet) tall and measuring roughly 7.6 meters (25 feet) in length, two species ofSinraptor have been named.S. dongi, thetype species, was described by Currie and Zhao in 1994. A second species, originally namedYangchuanosaurus hepingensis by Gao in 1992,[3] may actually represent a second species ofSinraptor. Whether or not this is the case,Sinraptor andYangchuanosaurus were close relatives and are classified together in the familyMetriacanthosauridae.[1]
The nameSinraptor comes from theLatin prefix "Sino", meaning Chinese, and "raptor", meaning robber. The specific namedongi honoursDong Zhiming. Despite its name,Sinraptor is not related todromaeosaurids (often nicknamed "raptors") likeVelociraptor. Instead, it was acarnosaur distantly related toAllosaurus.[2]
Gregory S. Paul proposed thatS. dongi would reach 8 metres (26 ft) in length and 1.3 metric tons (1.4 short tons) in body mass,[4] while Holtz estimated it to be 8.8 metres (29 ft) in length.[5]
The dentition ofSinraptor was very similar to that ofAllosaurus and indicated that it likely would have preyed upon medium-sized dinosaurs such as stegosaurs (such asJiangjunosaurus junggarensis) by using its blade-like teeth to inflict massive, fatal wounds.[6]
Sinraptor hepingensis, formerly referred to asYangchuanosaurus, is a second species referred to this genus.[2] However, the identity of this species withinSinraptor is questioned by other paleontologists,[1][7] and the describers ofAlpkarakush included this species withinYangchuanosaurus based on their phylogenetic analysis in 2024.[8]
Sinraptor dongi skull specimen IVPP 10600 exhibits "a variety of gently curving tooth drags or gouges, shallow, circular punctures and one fully penetratinglesion." One rib was broken and healed via telescoping of itscapitular shaft.[9]
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