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| Shri rapax Moutrille, Cau, Chinzorig, Escuillié, Tsogtbaatar, Ganzorig, Mallet & Godefroit, 2025 |
ABSTRACT
Dromaeosauridae is a clade of bird-like theropod dinosaurs including, among others, the genera Deinonychus and Velociraptor, and characterised by a specialised second toe bearing an enlarged and falciform ungual. Here, we describe an exquisitely-preserved velociraptorine dromaeosaurid from the Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia, and refer it to the new species Shri rapax. This dromaeosaurid is diagnosed by a peculiar combination of vertebral and pelvic features and by an exceptionally robust hand with a very stout pollex bearing the ungual proportionally larger than in any other dromaeosaurid. Combined with cranial adaptations which could support a bite more powerful than in other velociraptorines, the enlarged unguals in both Shri species suggest ecological partitioning in prey preference among the sympatric Djadokhtan dromaeosaurids.
KEYWORDS: Cretaceous, Djadokhta Formation, Dromaeosauridae, Mongolia, Theropoda
Shri rapax
Léa Moutrille, Andrea Cau, Tsogtbaatar Chinzorig, François Escuillié, Khishigjav Tsogtbaatar, Bayasgaa Ganzorig, Christophe Mallet and Pascal Godefroit. 2025. A New bird-like Dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia with extremely robust hands supports niche partitioning among velociraptorines. Historical Biology: An International Journal of Paleobiology. DOI: doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2530148 [13 Jul 2025]
