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EXHIBIT 96

Austroraptor

Austroraptor cabazai

Austroraptor was a large Patagonian theropod with a long low skull, small teeth and unusually short arms.

Evidence profile

TWO WAYS TO PICTURE THE PAST

Compare the evidence with the familiar movie image. The illustrations are not to a shared scale.

01 / SCIENTIFIC RECONSTRUCTION

An animal, reconstructed

Side-view life reconstruction of Austroraptor cabazai showing its long low snout and short arms with reconstructed feathers.

Life reconstruction of Austroraptor cabazai by TotalDino. The long low snout and reduced arms have fossil support; color, feather coverage and other soft tissues are comparative interpretations, not preserved features of these specimens. [1]

Austroraptor TD · TotalDino. CC BY-SA 4.0. Commons-listed 1280 px preview converted to WebP; smaller responsive copy proportionally resized. Artwork preserved. These copies remain CC BY-SA 4.0.

Scientific reconstruction is an interpretation; source credit does not certify every anatomical detail.

02 / MOVIE-STYLE INTERPRETATION

A cinematic imagination

Illustrative reconstruction of Austroraptor; color and soft tissues remain interpretive.

Original cinematic interpretation of Austroraptor cabazai. Coloration, soft tissues and scenery are artistic choices; reconstructed proportions do not establish a measured individual. Lighting, coloration and scenery are artistic choices. This image does not document a fossil locality or behavior.

Original artwork · artistic interpretation.

Scientific view: source-informed reconstruction, credited paleoart or specimen-based imagery. Movie-style view: Original artistic interpretation. Reconstructions involve uncertainty.

PERIODLate Cretaceous[1]
DIETCarnivoreEvidence and uncertainty in the dossier
TOTAL LENGTHSee the dossierEstimate scope matters
FOSSILS FOUNDRío Negro, Argentina[1]
CompareRead the dossierView the sources

MEET THE ANIMAL

Meet Austroraptor

Austroraptor was a Late Cretaceous dinosaur from Río Negro in Argentina. Its incomplete original skeleton was reconstructed as an animal about five metres long. A long, low skull and reduced upper arms distinguished it from many familiar raptor outlines, without establishing a complete adult size range. [D1]

A second partial individual added details of the forearm, hand, and foot. These bones support a reconstruction moving on its hind legs. Short whole arms do not mean that the forearm bones were unusually short in every comparison; the proportions of separate limb sections need to be considered. [D2]

Skull and tooth comparisons have suggested feeding on fish as well as land animals. Fish scales at the quarry are not a preserved meal inside Austroraptor, so the evidence does not make it an exclusive fish eater. The feeding proposal remains an interpretation of anatomy and setting. [D3]

The original upper-jaw bone is documented in the region's paleontological collections. That identified specimen provides a firm reference for future comparisons. A reconstruction built around it still includes less directly known details, especially living color, feathers, and particular hunting behavior. [D4]

PREHISTORIC ANIMAL DOSSIER

A life in profile.

The animal, the evidence, and the questions still open.

Its anatomy supports predatory feeding, with fish consumption remaining a hypothesis.

Profile scope: Species: A. cabazai. MML-195 anchors the length reconstruction; the 2025 mass calculation uses a reconstructed femur, not a measured living animal.

Time
Late Cretaceous
Fossil locations in this exhibit
Río Negro, Argentina
How to read the evidence

Source supported identifies a description documented by the cited source. Inferred marks a reconstruction or functional estimate. Debated marks competing interpretations. Not established means the sources reviewed for this dossier do not support a firm conclusion; it does not mean a behavior never occurred.

A size reference is an estimate, not a population range. Nesting evidence does not by itself establish courtship, mate choice, or lifelong pairing.

Length

Inferred

About 5 m (holotype reconstruction)

The original description reconstructs MML-195 from incomplete remains. Its maturity and an adult species length interval are not established. [D1]

Mass

Inferred

About 460 kg (2025 reconstruction)

The calculation uses a conservatively reconstructed 60 cm femur and a published mass regression. It is an estimate, without a demonstrated adult population range. [D3]

Diet and feeding

Inferred

Predator; fish consumption proposed

Skull and tooth comparisons suggest fish plus terrestrial prey. Conical teeth and quarry fish scales do not prove a preserved meal or exclusive piscivory. [D3]

Habitat and range

Source supported

Río Negro; Allen Formation

Bajo de Santa Rosa fossils are Late Cretaceous. The reviewed sedimentary interpretation includes river and lake settings. [D1] [D3]

Movement

Inferred

Hindlimb-supported walking inferred

Preserved hindlimb and foot anatomy support bipedal reconstruction; no specific speed or pursuit behavior is established. [D2]

Distinctive anatomy

Source supported

Long low snout; reduced arms

The humerus is short relative to the hindlimb. The second specimen clarifies hand and forearm anatomy; short whole arms do not mean unusually short forearms. [D1] [D2]

Reproduction & life together

Reproduction and care

Not established

Not established here

Regional dinosaur eggs are not securely assigned to Austroraptor; its nesting, incubation and care remain unestablished.

Courtship and mating

Not established

Not established here

Focused review found no supported mating display, sexual dimorphism or courtship sequence.

Social behavior

Not established

Not established here

Two known partial individuals do not demonstrate pack hunting or a lasting social organization.

Dossier research & sources

Sources and inspection notes for the claims in this profile.

  1. A bizarre Cretaceous theropod dinosaur from Patagonia and the evolution of Gondwanan dromaeosauridsProceedings of the Royal Society B; Novas, Pol, Canale, Porfiri and Calvo (2009), CONICET copy · Accessed 2026-10-02Original primary PDF inspected: MML-195, approximately 5 m reconstruction, long low skull, short humerus, Allen Formation and Bajo de Santa Rosa locality. · Inspected: page
  2. A new specimen of Austroraptor cabazai from the latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Río Negro, ArgentinaAmeghiniana; Philip J. Currie and Ariana Paulina Carabajal (2012) · Accessed 2026-10-02Publisher record and primary PDF inspected: second individual MML-220, same locality, radius/ulna, hand and foot anatomy; reduced whole arms distinguished from forearm proportions. · Inspected: page
  3. Osteology of Austroraptor cabazai (Paraves: Theropoda): a southern gigantic unenlagiid from the Late Cretaceous of PatagoniaHistorical Biology; Matías J. Motta and Fernando E. Novas (2025), author-uploaded full text · Accessed 2026-10-022025 publisher abstract and relevant full-text sections inspected: revised anatomy, femur-based approximately 460 kg estimate, Allen river/lake context, possible fish and terrestrial prey; fish scales at quarry are not gut contents. · Inspected: page
  4. Río Negro y sus instituciones en el desarrollo de los estudios paleoherpetológicosPublicación Electrónica de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina; Leonardo Salgado (2022), CONICET copy · Accessed 2026-10-02Institutional primary PDF inspected: Río Negro collections and Austroraptor holotype maxilla MML-195; regional dinosaur eggs are not attributed to Austroraptor. · Inspected: page

THE STORY IN THE FOSSILS

Meet Austroraptor.

Austroraptor’s unusually long skull and short arms distinguish it from familiar raptor reconstructions. A second partial skeleton supplied limb details that were missing from the original description. [2]

Its holotype maxilla is documented in Río Negro’s paleontological collections. These identified bones anchor the reconstruction; feathers, living color and exact hunting behavior remain less directly constrained. [4]

A note on scale and time

The dossier identifies the scope of each reference estimate. A mount, an individual fossil and a species-wide adult range are different measurements. Comparison metrics remain unavailable where adult scope has not been established. Unknown does not mean zero.

Sources & editorial notes

Sources support the stated claims and scopes. Refer to the evidence notes for uncertainty.

  1. A bizarre Cretaceous theropod dinosaur from Patagonia and the evolution of Gondwanan dromaeosauridsProceedings of the Royal Society B; Novas, Pol, Canale, Porfiri and Calvo (2009), CONICET copy · Accessed 2026-10-02Original primary PDF inspected: MML-195, approximately 5 m reconstruction, long low skull, short humerus, Allen Formation and Bajo de Santa Rosa locality. · Inspected: page
  2. A new specimen of Austroraptor cabazai from the latest Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Río Negro, ArgentinaAmeghiniana; Philip J. Currie and Ariana Paulina Carabajal (2012) · Accessed 2026-10-02Publisher record and primary PDF inspected: second individual MML-220, same locality, radius/ulna, hand and foot anatomy; reduced whole arms distinguished from forearm proportions. · Inspected: page
  3. Osteology of Austroraptor cabazai (Paraves: Theropoda): a southern gigantic unenlagiid from the Late Cretaceous of PatagoniaHistorical Biology; Matías J. Motta and Fernando E. Novas (2025), author-uploaded full text · Accessed 2026-10-022025 publisher abstract and relevant full-text sections inspected: revised anatomy, femur-based approximately 460 kg estimate, Allen river/lake context, possible fish and terrestrial prey; fish scales at quarry are not gut contents. · Inspected: page
  4. Río Negro y sus instituciones en el desarrollo de los estudios paleoherpetológicosPublicación Electrónica de la Asociación Paleontológica Argentina; Leonardo Salgado (2022), CONICET copy · Accessed 2026-10-02Institutional primary PDF inspected: Río Negro collections and Austroraptor holotype maxilla MML-195; regional dinosaur eggs are not attributed to Austroraptor. · Inspected: page

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