Review and photos by Patrx
The publication of Dakotaraptor steini by DePalma et al. in 2015 was a pretty exciting thing. Dakotaraptor is a large (about five and one-half metres long) dromaeosaurine from the well-studied Hell Creek formation of North America. Proportioned more like the famous Deinonychus than the stocky Utahraptor, Dakotaraptor made quite an impression on casual and die-hard dinosaur fans alike, and the fact that its publication included a beautiful reconstruction by Emily Willoughby helped promote current ideas of what dromaeosaurs looked like in life.