Saurornitholestes fossil map
Where fossils of Saurornitholestes have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 75 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 75 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Theropods |
|---|---|
| Lived | 83.6–66 million years ago (Campanian to Maastrichtian) |
| Periods | Cretaceous |
| Family | Dromaeosauridae |
| Named by | Sues 1978 |
| Fossil records | 148 occurrences at 96 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Canada, United States, Romania, Russia, France |
| Rock formations | Dinosaur Park, Oldman, Aguja, Ferris, Hell Creek, Judith River |
About Saurornitholestes
Saurornitholestes ("lizard-bird thief") is a genus of carnivorous dromaeosaurid theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous of Canada (Alberta and Saskatchewan) and the United States (Montana, New Mexico, Alabama, and South Carolina). Two species have been named that are regarded as valid: Saurornitholestes langstoni in 1978 and Saurornitholestes sullivani in 2015. Saurornitholestes was a small, bipedal, meat-eating dinosaur, equipped with a sickle-like claw on each foot.
Saurornitholestes robustus, a species named in 2006, was regarded as a dubious troodontid in 2014, tentatively assigned to the genus Xenovenator in early 2026, and assigned to its own genus, Dinevenator later in 2026.
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Saurornitholestes (revision 1381260277), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q132174.
