Comments (Page 440)
Latest comments by Jurassic World fans on news, forum discussions and images!
Discovering Achillobator
Considered to be one of the largest members of the dromaeosaur family, Achillobator (“Achilles Hero”) was discovered in Russia in 1989 by gentleman archeologist and explorer Burkhant and is thought to have reached lengths between roughly five and six meters (approximately 16 to 19 feet) and could have stood as tall as 2.1 meters (around 6.8 feet), though it likely cut a shorter and more streamlined figure. Based on the one and only disarticulated holotype specimen available to science at present, Achillobator was a fearsome hunter that stalked the flats and forests of ancient Mongolia some 90 million years ago during the height of the Cretaceous. Purpose designed by evolution for both speed and power, this animal was very likely among the most successful predators to roam the lands it called home. Presenting a terrifying silhouette, Achillobator possessed articulate, grasping hands armed with razor-sharp claws, jaws designed to rend and grip prey in a merciless embrace of shearing blades, and agile feet each dominated by sickle-like claws built for a single and undeniable purpose: the swift and brutal slaughter of any life-form unfortunate enough to be hunted by their voracious owner. Interestingly enough, Achillobator actually represents something of an evolutionary quandry with regards to its physiology, having been stated as being a paleontological chimera. This is due to the fact that it displays primitive saurishian characteristics when compared to other dromaeosaurs – particularly with regards to its pelvic girdle.
Achillobator was a Dromaeosaur, similar in size to Utahraptor, that lived in what is now Mongolia about 98 to 83 million years ago. By Dromaeosaur standards, it was huge. Achillobator means "Achille's Hero." It was a standard Dromaeosaur. It had a sickle claw on each of its feet, it was fast, it had large forearms, and it likely had a coating of feathers.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but this a "vs" style debate. Therefore, when and where said predators lived, and what they lived alongside, is irrelevant.
While Achillobator has an obvious size advantage, Austroraptor had an agility advantage. Just the same, being a Dromaeosaur Achillobator would have been extremely agile as well. Also, being a Dromaeosaur, Achillobator likely hunted in packs, making it a force to be reckoned with. I will say, a large Dromaeosaur taking on a more agile large Dromaeosaur would be a heck of a battle to see. All in all, I say that whatever Austroraptor can do, Achillobator can do better.
