Austroraptor cabazai

An unusual dromaeosarid, like all the Unelanginae. Very short and almost useless arms, extremely narrow snout with small teeth and quite an impressive size. Of all the family, its the one who most ressemble a modern flightless bird. Its anatomy suggest a diet based on fish and carrion, maybe suited to fill the niche left after the extinction of Spinosaurids in South America, since Austroraptor lack proper tools to be an active hunter and take down prey of medium size.

I picture him with a Golden pheasant like plumage and long caudal feathers which once displayed help him to keep at bay the most dangerous theropods who shared its habitat and had a similar size, like abelisaurids and neovenatorids, in the same way the mass of some spinosaurids and the sometimes present sail worked as a disuasory element.



(W.I.P.)