Skiaraptor (Eldrador by Schleich)

One of the most unusual and frightening members of the dromaeosaur family, Skiaraptor kakos (“evil shadow raptor”) was first discovered in the African nation of Zamunda by the distinguished scholar Professor Cuthbert Calculus. Subsequent remains have turned up in Birani, Equatorial Kundu, Kijuju, and Wadiya, indicating that the species ranged throughout the continent during the Middle Cretaceous. The very first toy of it was released by Schleich in 2023.

The Skiaraptor is sculpted in a crouched tripod stance with the right leg bent back, the left leg bent forward, the left middle foreclaw touching the ground, and the right arm raised. The head is turned to look to the right with the mouth wide open. Finally, the deadly tail is raised and curling to the right. This makes the toy about 14 cm long and 10.5 cm tall at the tail tip. The real Skiaraptor, which is fully known from multiple adult, juvenile, and hatchling specimens, was by far the largest dromaeosaur. It measured nine metres in length and weighed at least two tons. Despite its size, it was capable of matching a cheetah’s speed, and for greater distances.

The Skiaraptor‘s main colour is dark grey with darker patches on its head and limbs. Dark purple is applied to the throat, the spikes on the elbows and heels, and the top and tip of the tail. The claws are black, the eyes are red, the inside of the mouth is maroon, and the teeth are white. Finally, the spikes running down the back of the neck and torso are translucent purple. A most decidedly sinister colour scheme indeed.

Skiaraptor is distinctive in a number of ways from other dromaeosaurs, ways that are nicely reflected on this toy. For starters, it did not possess any feathers on its body. Perfectly preserved skin impressions have shown that it was covered in serpent-like scales and wrinkles instead, which is reflected on this toy. It also possessed two sharp, curved spurs on each of its elbows and ankles, which were presumably used in combat. And indeed, a trio of claw marks on this individual’s right thigh testifies to its violent lifestyle. Skiaraptor also boasted pronated wrists, meaning it could rotate its hands just like a primate’s. Repeated testing on both the foreclaws and hind claws have concluded that they were strong enough to cut through steel.

The head of Skiaraptor, which housed a brain as intelligent as a bonobo’s, is large with a pronounced V-shape when viewed from above and curved ridges in front of the orbits. A thick row of overlapping osteoderms topped with backward curving spikes runs from the cranium down the neck and along the back, terminating at the base of the tail. Presumably, this heavy armour, thick enough to stop a bullet from a .44 Magnum revolver, served a two-fold purpose. It would have prevented other theropods from biting the Skiaraptor‘s neck and back, and it would have enabled the Skiaraptor to disembowel large sauropods simply by running underneath the belly region and using the spikes like a bonesaw to slice through the hide.

The back of the tail is covered in smaller, less impressive spiked armour, but then terminates in a very large, scimitar-shaped blade. Painstaking analysis of the structure by Prof. Calculus has shown that it was hollow and very similar to the stinger on a scorpion. It is therefore surmised that Skiaraptor employed its tail both for hunting and combat, driving the tail blade deep into a victim’s flesh to inject a lethal amount of venom. This would essentially enable it to prey on whatever dinosaurs it wished, including other, larger theropods. A complete Spinosaurus skeleton discovered by one Prof. Elvin Gadd shows multiple teeth and claw marks on its bones that match those of Skiaraptor, indicating that the spined lizard was a regular part of the deadly dromaeosaur’s diet. Indeed, both Calculus and Gadd have proposed that Skiaraptor was responsible for hunting Spinosaurus and other giant African theropods to extinction.

The Schleich Skiaraptor is a pretty cool and fun toy of perhaps the deadliest dinosaur ever to walk the face of the Earth, and probably the most scientifically accurate one the company has ever made, with nary a single error to be seen. It can be found for sale online or in most brick and mortar toy stores that stock Schleich products.