Gigantoraptor

Name:
Gigantoraptor (Greek for "giant thief"); pronounced gee-GAN-toe-rap-tore
Habitat:
Plains of Central Asia
Historical Period:
Late Cretaceous (85 million years ago)
Size and Weight:
About 25 feet long and 2 tons
Diet:
Probably omnivorous
Distinguishing Characteristics:
Large size; probably feathers
About Gigantoraptor:
Despite its scary name, it's important to realize that Gigantoraptor wasn't technically a true raptor, like Deinonychus, Velociraptor or the equally huge Utahraptor. Rather, this large, feathered theropod was a close relative of Oviraptor, and the largest such "dino-bird" yet discovered. Gigantoraptor was "diagnosed" based on a single, incomplete skeleton found in Mongolia in 2005, so further discoveries may shed some much-needed light on its lifestyle (such as whether it contented itself with a herbivorous diet, like other oviraptors, or occasionally supplemented its leafy greens by hunting smaller dinosaurs).