Imperobator, the Naze "dromeosaur" named at last

[Logo7]

The Naze "dromeosaur," known from Late Cretaceous age remains discovered in the Snow Hill Island Formation of Antarctica in 2003, has finally been given a name, Imperobator antarcticus ("Antarctic powerful warrior"). The genus name originates from the Latin word "impero," meaning "powerful," and the Latin word "bator," meaning "warrior," and the species name originates from Antarctica, the country where the bones of the new genus were discovered. The holotype specimen consists of a series of bones belonging to a foot. Despite initially being considered a dromeosaur, the lack of a sickle claw and the paucity of the material only allow the new genus to be classified as an indeterminate paravian theropod until more complete material of the species can be found. The paper claims that Imperobator displayed gigantism on a similar level to Achillobator, Austroraptor, Dakotaraptor, and Utahraptor, but this is under dispute. Here is a reconstruction of the new genus by DeviantArt user cisiopurple and an image of the fossils used to describe the new genus, as well as a link to the paper describing it.




Paper (abstract only): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195667118300120?via%3Dihub

[Halichoeres]

The one silver lining to the whole climate catastrophe is that as Antarctica melts it's going to spit out amazing fossils. Not worth the drowning of coastal communities and all the extinction, but...a silver lining.

[UtahraptorFan]

That would be so cool if it wound up as a troodontid. So far, all of those named have been found in Asia and North America, whereas Dromaeosauridae is more widespread, also being known from Europe, South America, and possibly Madagascar, although Rahonavis has been classified in different parts of Paraves.