(Note: I am not a professional paleontologist or even biologist. I am just and amateur paleoartist and enthusiast. If my infos are off in some way, feel free to correct them ^^)
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DINOCEMBER
14 (Front) - Santanaraptor placidus (from the Latin "Thief of Santana") 15 (Back) - Aratasaurus museunacionali (combination of Tupi "ara" and "atá" and Greek "sauros" as "lizard born from fire") - Early Cretaceous (112-108 Ma BCE) - Romulado Formation, Ceara, Brazil Probably one of the most famous Brazilian dinosaurs, the Santanaraptor is a member of the tyrannosauroid family, presenting more basal characteristics similar to the Asian Guanlong and Dilong, with long legs adapted for running, a trait common to most theropods of this lineage at the beginning of their walk to become massive predators, in the future using their powerful skulls and jaws as their main hunting weapon. The original Santanaraptor fossil, formally named in 1996, mainly featured the animal's back and legs, as well as soft tissue prints, such as muscle fibers and parts of the epidermis, with an estimated size for an adult individual at just under 2 meters, close the size of a velociraptor. Also present on the great coastal plain at the same time as the Santanaraptor, the Aratasaurus was formally named in 2020, with its specific name honoring the National Museum of Brazil, unfortunately destroyed by the flames in 2018 resulting from years of neglect. The classification of Aratasaurus is still unclear, but it seems that it would also be a Coelurosaur, as well as Santanaraptor, part of the lineage that include birds and the most famous theropods, such as dromaeosaurs, tyrannosaurs and ornithomimosaurs. Aratasaurus seems to be more robust than Santanaraptor, about 3 meters long. I imagine that the two species would encouter themselves in life, like Aratasaurus perhaps acting similarly to a large spotted hyena while the agile Santanaraptor would be something like a coati or a mongoose, more of a opportunistic hunter.
- Color schemes based on a Northern Ground Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) for the Aratasaurus and a Madagascan Serpent Eagle (Eutriorchis astur) for the Santanaraptor.
