This family of dromaeosaurs evolved rather recently from the normal dromaeosaurs during the Miocene. Like normal dromaeosaurs, gigaraptors hunt in packs, have great intelligence and have sickle claws on their toes. The main differences between gigaraptors and their normal dromaeosaur ancestors is that gigaraptors also have sickle claws on their hands similar to a megaraptoran and grow to the size of medium sized tyrannosaurs. The gigaraptors diversified very rapidly during the Pliocene and Pleistocene. They outcompeted the carnosaurs and African tyrannosaurs into extinction.
Groups
Giga-Raptors (Subfamily: Gigaraptorinae)
Giga-raptors get their name because they are the largest dromeaosaurs, around the size of an Albertosaurus. Despite this, they are very social dinosaurs and they hunt in packs. By hunting in packs, giga-raptors can take down many different kinds of large prey, ranging from sauropods to therizinosaurs. If larger prey is scarce, they'll also hunt smaller ornithopods and ornithomimids.
Species:
- Common Tyrant Raptor (Gigaraptor simeio)
- South African Tyrant Raptor (Gigaraptor australis)
- Ethiopian Tyrant Raptor (Gigaraptor ethiopia)
- Barbary Tyrant Raptor (Gigaraptor barbarian)
| Sauropsida | Archosauria | Theropoda | Abelisauroidea • Aves • Dromaeosauridae • Gigaraptornae (Dinosaurs of the Ice Age) • Ornithomimosauria • Therizinosauria • Tyrannosauroidea |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sauropoda | Titanosauria | ||
| Ornithischia | Ankylosauria • Ceratopsia • Ornithopoda | ||
| Pterosauria | Pterodactyloidea | ||
| Crocodylomorpha | |||
| Lepidosauromorpha | Plesiosauria • Squamata | ||
| Mammalia | Eutheria • Metatheria • Monotremata | ||