Massive dinosaur tracks indicate existence of largest-ever raptor

Interestingly, these footprints were left by a gigantic raptor some 90 million years ago. The animal carved five footsteps as it walked along the muddy side of a river back then. 

The unique footprints left by giant raptor

When paleontologists stumbled upon these footprints, they knew they were onto something big. These footprints were unlike anything they had seen before. Moreover, the tracks do not match the footprints of any previously known dinosaurs. 

The ancient footprints depicted sharp claw marks at the ends of each toe imprint, indicating that they belonged to a big carnivore.

“Most carnivorous dinosaurs leave footprints that look like big chicken scratch,” said Scott Persons, assistant professor of paleontology at the College of Charleston.

“The typical carnivorous dinosaur track has three forward-pointing toes. Their tracks look like they could have been made by a giant turkey, emu or other ground bird. Two-toed tracks are the mark of deinonychosaurs, better known as raptors,” Persons added. 

Unlike previous footprints

Raptors, like the famous velociraptors, walked with their large toes up to keep their powerful claws sharp as they moved. 

“Holding the big toe up, kept that toe’s enlarged and recurved claw from getting dulled as the animal walked. Consequently, it stayed lethally sharp,” explained Persons. 

For context, a velociraptor was a dinosaur, although its size was comparable to that of a Labrador dog. Surprisingly, several documented raptors have been similar or smaller in size. 

The newly discovered Chinese raptor tracks are more than 13 inches long. Compared to others, these stand out as the biggest raptor footprints ever discovered. 

New species of raptor

A thorough examination revealed that these footprints belong to a new species of raptor called Fujianipus. The name means “the foot of Fujian.” It is now believed that a 15-foot-long raptor left the tracks. 

Furthermore, the foot dimensions indicate that Fujianipus belongs to a distinct family of raptors known as troodontids. Surprisingly, the only other known giant troodontids resided in ancient Alaska.

“Raptors were good at being small,” stated Persons.

“When it comes to house cat– and coyote–sized predators, raptors were widespread and globally successful for tens of millions of years,” he added.

“But we find that, in multiple environments and at multiple times, different raptor lineages did evolve large sizes. There are many advantages to getting bigger. Still, for Fujianipus, the timing is interesting,” he concluded in the press release. 

The findings were published in the journal iScience.