Cretaceous
Saurornitholestes
Saurornitholestes langstoni
The catalogue presents Saurornitholestes as a carnivore member of Dromaeosauridae that lived during the Cretaceous, between 75 Ma. Its estimated range is 1.8 m in length and 8 kg in mass, giving a practical sense of scale. Reference material comes from Alberta, Canada. Size and mass are approximations and may change with new fossils or methods.
Evidence-backed summary
For Saurornitholestes, the PBDB records the taxonomic attribution as Sues (1978).
The PBDB places it in Saurornitholestinae, and the catalogue record assigns it to the family Dromaeosauridae.
- PBDB · taxon.parent
- Dromaeosauridae
In the PBDB record, the reported stratigraphic range runs from the Campanian to the Maastrichtian.
The PBDB catalogues 78 occurrences, with material from the Dinosaur Park Formation (32), from the Oldman Formation (25) and from the Aguja Formation (7). Provenance: Canada and United States.
The catalogue records the holotype as RTMP 74.10.5 and the type locality as “Alberta, Canada”.
- RTMP 74.10.5
- Alberta, Canada
The catalogue's reference measurements are 1.8 m in length and 8 kg in mass — estimates, which vary with specimen and method.
- 1.8 m
- 8 kg
The record gathers 96 bibliographic references registered in the PBDB, listed below.
Where it lived
Fossil occurrences on today’s map and in the tectonic reconstruction.
Positions reconstructed by PBDB/GPlates, not observed; this is not an exact habitat map.
Artistic 3D reconstruction
There is no approved species-specific 3D model yet. Generic anatomy will not be presented as if it were evidence.
Physical Specifications
- Length
- 1.8 m
- Weight
- 8 kg
- Period
- Cretaceous
- Time range
- 75 Ma
Discovery Information
- First Discovery
- 1978
- Described by
- Hans-Dieter Sues
Taxonomic Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Reptilia
- Order
- Saurischia
- Family
- Dromaeosauridae
- Genus
- Saurornitholestes
- Species
- S. langstoni
Data status
Taxonomic name matched to PBDB and checked on 2026-08-08.
Taxonomic linkage does not automatically validate size, mass, behaviour or appearance.
- Type specimen
- RTMP 74.10.5
- Type locality
- Alberta, Canada