Halszkaraptor Facts
| Diet | Piscivore |
| Height | 0.4m |
| Length | 1.2m |
| Weight | 6 kg |
| Environment | Water |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Late Cretaceous |
| Type | Theropod |
| Location | Mongolia |

| Diet | Piscivore |
| Height | 0.4m |
| Length | 1.2m |
| Weight | 6 kg |
| Environment | Water |
| Era | Cretaceous |
| Period | Late Cretaceous |
| Type | Theropod |
| Location | Mongolia |
Halszkaraptor was a remarkable theropod dinosaur that lived around 83.6 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous period in what is now Mongolia. This extraordinary creature revolutionised our understanding of theropod diversity, as it was uniquely adapted for life in aquatic environments - a lifestyle previously unknown among this group of dinosaurs.
Unlike its land-dwelling relatives, Halszkaraptor possessed an unusual combination of features that made it perfectly suited for hunting in water. It had a long, flexible neck similar to a swan's, webbed feet for swimming, and dense bones that helped it stay submerged whilst hunting. Its snout was lined with numerous sharp teeth, ideal for catching slippery fish and other aquatic prey.
This theropod measured approximately 1.2 metres in length and weighed around 6 kilograms, making it roughly the size of a large goose. Its body was streamlined for efficient swimming, whilst its powerful legs suggest it was also capable of moving effectively on land. The discovery of Halszkaraptor has shown that theropod dinosaurs were far more diverse in their lifestyles than previously imagined.
Halszkaraptor represents the only known species in its genus, H. escuilliei, and provides crucial evidence that some theropods successfully adapted to semi-aquatic niches millions of years before similar adaptations appeared in mammals and birds.
Halszkaraptor had an extraordinarily long, flexible neck like a swan, webbed feet adapted for swimming, and dense bones for underwater hunting. Its elongated snout was packed with sharp, fish-catching teeth, and its streamlined body was perfectly designed for aquatic life.
Halszkaraptor was likely a semi-aquatic predator that spent much of its time hunting fish and other aquatic prey in rivers and lakes. It probably used its long neck to strike at fish underwater whilst paddling with its webbed feet, similar to modern diving birds.
Halszkaraptor was first described by Andrea Cau in 2017. The original fossils were discovered at Ukhaa Tolgod, Mongolia.