Our thanks to Caldey who sent into Everything Dinosaur her illustration of the ferocious, crimson coloured Pyroraptor that featured recently in the film “Jurassic World Dominion”.

Pyroraptor olympius

Formally named and scientifically described in 2000 (Allain and Taquet), this theropod dinosaur is known from fragmentary fossil material including teeth found in south-eastern France and eastern Spain. When described it was assigned to the Dromaeosauridae, but the limited fossil material associated with this genus makes a definitive taxonomic assessment difficult. Recent phylogenetic assessments have placed Pyroraptor within the dromaeosaurid sub-family the Unenlagiinae. However, some palaeontologists have proposed that unenlagiines with their characteristic long and slender snouts, might represent an entirely different family of theropods and therefore should not be classified within the Dromaeosauridae.

Caldey has chosen to echo the Pyroraptor as seen in the recent movie. It is depicted as a formidable predator with powerful jaws. In the film, this feathered “raptor” was revealed to be an accomplished swimmer.

Our thanks to Caldey for sending into Everything Dinosaur her Pyroraptor drawing.

The popular Beasts of the Mesozoic range included several dromaeosaurids including Pyroraptor (whilst stocks last): Articulated Beasts of the Mesozoic Figures.