Shri rapax sp. nov. From Moutrille et al., 2025.

Dromaeosauridae is a clade of highly specialised small- to mid-sized theropod dinosaurs closely related to birds. Their fossils have been found in North America, Europe, Africa, Asia, South America, and Antarctica. The group is characterized by the presence of long, three-fingered forelimbs that ended in sharp, trenchant claws, and a tail stiffened by the elongated prezygapophyses. The clade can be subdivided into Unenlagiinae, Halzskaraptorinae, Microraptorinae, Dromaeosaurinae, Velociraptorinae, and Saurornitholestinae,  with the latter three groups united as Eudromaeosauria.
Features of the ancestral body plan of birds can often be inferred using Dromaeosauridae as models. Over the last few decades, the discovery of well-preserved specimens in North America, Mongolia, and China has led to significant advances in the knowledge of these theropods. Now, an exquisitely preserved velociraptorine dromaeosaurid from the Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation of Mongolia sheds light on the diversity and niche partitioning among velociraptorines.

Skull of Shri rapax sp. nov. From Moutrille et al., 2025. Scale bar = 100 mm (a-e), 50 mm (f).

Shri rapax is the second species of the genus Shri (named after Palden Lhamo, a Buddhist deity, the principal protectress of Tibet). The specific name refers to the enlarged falciform pollex ungual found in this species, along with its associated raptorial behaviour.

The holotype (MPC-D 102/117), similar in size to the well-known Velociraptor mongoliensis, is a nearly complete skeleton including the skull. It was  illegally poached from the country and remained in private collections in Japan and  Europe before being acquired by the French company Eldonia. Unfortunately, the skull and the first four articulated cervical vertebrae, which had been separated from the rest of the material for scanning at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS) in 2016, have been reported missing.

Right manus of Shri rapax in distoventral view. Scale bar = 20 mm. From Moutrille et al., 2025.

A set of characteristics exhibited by the two species of Shri suggests an ecological differentiation from Velociraptor. The shorter, stronger snout of Shri, combined with teeth that extend posteriorly to the jugal-maxillary suture (which is interdigitated rather than simply in contact), suggests a stronger bite than that of Velociraptor. Additionally, the vertebrae in the dorsal region of Shri rapax are much more pneumatised. Its powerful forelimbs and exceptionally robust hand with strong grasping adaptations suggest that Shri might have hunted larger prey than other dromaeosaurids from the Djadokhta Formation. These differences imply that velociraptorines were not competing directly for food resources.

References:

Moutrille, L., Cau, A., Chinzorig, T., Escuillié, F., Tsogtbaatar, K., Ganzorig, B., Mallet, C., & Godefroit, P. (2025). A new bird-like dinosaur from the Upper Cretaceous of Mongolia with extremely robust hands supports niche partitioning among velociraptorines. Historical Biology, 1–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/08912963.2025.2530148

Norell, M., Makovicky, P. J., Project, M.-A. M. P., & Akademi, M. S. U. (1999). Important features of the dromaeosaurid skeleton. 2, Information from newly collected specimens of Velociraptor mongoliensis. American Museum novitates ; no. 3282. Digitallibrary.amnh.org. https://digitallibrary.amnh.org/items/a9517044-2fa5-4419-a0e6-877167453d42

Averianov, A. O., & Lopatin, A. V. (2023). New data on Kansaignathus sogdianus, a dromaeosaurid theropod from the Upper Cretaceous of Tajikistan. Cretaceous Research, 147, 105524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cretres.2023.105524

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