Atrociraptor

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/atrociraptor

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Atrociraptor marshalli
2. What is the habitat?Horseshoe Canyon Formation, Alberta, Canada, during the Late Cretaceous (Maastrichtian age)
3. What is Atrociraptor marshalli?Atrociraptor marshalli is a small dinosaur that lived in Canada about 70 million years ago. It was about 1.8 to 2 meters long and weighed around 15 kilograms. It is famous for its sharp teeth and large sickle‑claw.
4. How did Atrociraptor catch its food?Atrociraptor used its backward‑pointing teeth to keep prey from escaping. Its big sickle‑claw helped grab and hold the animal while it bit with a strong jaw.

Dromaeosauridae: A diverse family of theropod dinosaurs known for their cursorial adaptations, enlarged sickle-claws, and probable feather coverings.
Holotype: The single, original specimen upon which a species is based, serving as the definitive reference for its taxonomic description.
Phylogenetic Analysis: The study of the evolutionary relationships among biological entities, often using morphological or genetic data to construct evolutionary trees.
Osteology: The scientific study of bones, including their structure, function, and development.