'Stocky dragon' dinosaur, relative of Velociraptor, terrorized Late Cretaceous Europe
Monday, August 30, 2010 - 15:21
in Paleontology & Archaeology
Paleontologists have discovered that a close relative of Velociraptor hunted the dwarfed inhabitants of Late Cretaceous Europe, an island landscape largely isolated from nearby continents. While island animals tend to be smaller and more primitive than their continental cousins, the theropod Balaur bondoc was as large as its relatives on other parts of the globe and demonstrated advanced adaptations including fused bones and two terrifyingly large claws on each hind foot.