For Immediate Release Contact: Greg Borzo (312) 665-7106 Remarkably different dinosaur Buitreraptor (bwee-tree-rap-tor) is about the size of a very large rooster, but with a long head and very long tail. It is the most complete small theropod (carnivorous dinosaur) ever discovered in South America. Buitreraptor is remarkably different than other domaeosaurs, most obviously due to its long, slender snout and relatively small, widely spaced teeth. Unlike most other theropods, the teeth of Buitrearaptor lack the steak-knife-like serrations along their edges. Although scientist are unsure why the animal evolved such peculiar head proportions and unusual dentition, it may have been an adaptation to hunt small prey, such as the abundant burrowing snakes, mammals, and lizards that have been discovered alongside Buitreraptor. The remarkable dinosaur was discovered in northwestern Patagonia about 700 miles southwest of Buenos Aires. Although Buitreraptor is rather small, the paleontological team needed 10 days to chisel out the 800-pound slab of rock containing the fossil, which was subsequently prepared at the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales in Buenos Aires and The Field Museum. The fieldwork, in rugged terrain, was supported by funding from NASA, the Jurassic Foundation, and Michael and Jacqueline Ferro of Chicago. The Agencia Cultura of Río Negro Province loaned the fossil to The Field Museum. The holotype, or definitive, fossil of this adult dinosaur is in excellent condition: articulated and nearly complete. An additional partial skeleton discovered on an earlier expedition led by Apesteguía helped fill in missing bones. Since discovering the first two Buitreraptor fossils, the scientists have discovered at least two more in the same area during fieldwork conducted in January 2005. “Although Buitreraptor is a recent discovery, we already have a very good sample of this remarkable dinosaur,” Makovicky says. “A growth series of Buitreraptor individuals would allow us to study how the animal grew and how its proportions may have changed with growth – information that may be useful to understanding the changes in body proportions that led to the origin of birds and flight.” Digital images available:  Lifelike illustration of Buitreraptor gonzalezorum The newly discovered Buitreraptor gonzalezorum has a long, thin snout that may have been used to catch primitive reptiles, like the baby sphenodontian (a relative of the modern tuatara) in this image. Buitreraptor is reconstructed here with a plumage similar to that of primitive birds, such as Archaeopteryx, and some closely related Chinese dromaeosaurids with preserved fossil feathers. This 90-million-year-old carnivorous dinosaur was found in Patagonia. Illustration by Jorge Gonzalez, Copyright The Field Museum Photo of reconstructed skeleton of Buitreraptor gonzalezorum. The long hindlimbs indicate that the animal was a fast runner. The elongated arms and massive shoulder girdle indicate powerful prey-grasping abilities. Like all other dromaeosaurs, Buitreraptor was armed with an enlarged claw on the second toe of each foot. © 2005 The Field Museum, Photo by John Weinstein, image# GEO86430_30d The Buitreraptor gonzalezorum quarry.  The holotype specimen was extracted in an 800-pound block of sandstone that took 10 days to extract using a rock-saw and chisels. The picture shows Field Museum preparator Jim Holstein (left) and Argentine paleontologist Pablo Gallina at work. Temperatures soared above 100° F on most days. Fieldwork was supported by NASA, The Jurassic Foundation, and Michael and Jacqueline Ferro of Chicago. Photo by Peter Makovicky, Courtesy of The Field Museum The skeleton of Buitreraptor gonzalezorum in the field. A string of vertebrae and the right shoulder (lower left) and femur are showing. The match-stick shows scale. Photo by Peter Makovicky, Courtesy of The Field Museum <<Back to the Press Room