It's a bird, it's a plane...it's an achillobator
Image © The Dinosaur Database
The Desert of Mongolia, 99 million years ago…
In the stifling heat, not even the warm breeze brings a reprieve. You have been walking for hours without any luck, wondering when you’ll find water. Your mouth is so parched it feels as if your tongue has turned into cotton. But then, as if a miracle, you hear the rushing of water in the distance. Rejuvenated with hope, you pick up your pace and make your way to the river. You are alone for a blissful few moments before you sense another’s presence. There, across the river, looking at you with hungry eyes, stands an achillobator.
The Achillobator, or “Achilles Hero”, was a large theropod that lived in Mongolia about 99-84 million years ago during the late Cretaceous period. It is estimated to have been about 16 to 20 feet long, though only one fossil specimen of this species has been found (Discovered in 1989). This dinosaur could have weighed anywhere from 500 to 1000 pounds, which is as much as an Arabian horse! The achillobator was a predator that is believed to have hunted with its sickle shaped claws.
The achillobator gets its name from how well formed the achilles tendon of the species seemed to be. Its closet relatives are Dromaeosaurus and Utahraptor and it looked like a bird. While still in the raptor family, the achillobator is unique in the fact that it had a weird hip structure. The achillobator could not fly but could potentially reach running speeds of up to 25 miles per hour.
Many scientists believe the achillobator had feathers like a modern bird, but no feathers have ever been found attached to the fossils.
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