Family
Valid Extinct

Unenlagiidae

(Bonaparte 1999)

Unenlagiidae is a proposed family of eumaniraptoran paravians that includes the subfamilies Unenlagiinae and possibly Halszkaraptorinae. Fossils of both subfamilies have been found in both Gondwanan and Laurasian deposits. The biology of the group suggests that some members were semiaquatic specialists.

Temporal range
Triassic
Jurassic
Cretaceous
Paleogene
Neogene
252 201 145 66 0 Ma
PBDB occurrences
7
Group
Dinosaures
Carnivore Ground dwelling, solitary Terrestrial
Unenlagiidae
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Wikimedia
Unenlagiidae
Unenlagiidae
PBDB ↗ Wikipedia ↗
Classification
Dinosauria Unranked clade
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Theropoda Unranked clade
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Unenlagiidae Family
Fossil sites 7 geolocated sites
Distribution
Top countries
🇦🇷 Argentina
5
🇧🇷 Brazil
1
🇨🇱 Chile
1
Geological formations
Chorrillo
4
Adamantina
1
Dorotea
1
Los Alamitos
1
Temporal distribution
Maastrichtian (72.2–66 Ma)
5
Campanian (83.6–72.2 Ma)
2
News 2
A New Unenlagiid Dinosaur from Patagonia (Argentina)
Argentina Japan Cretaceous Late Cretaceous fossil +6
A team of scientists from Argentina and Japan has described a new species of unenlagiid dinosaur from southern Patagonia. Named Kank australis, this small, theropod dinosaur lived around 70 million years ago during the Late Cretaceous. The fossil remains were discovered in the Chorrillo Formation of Santa Cruz Province, Argentina. The discovery helps palaeontologists better
02/06/2026 everythingdinosaur
New Dinosaur Species from Argentina May Have Specialized in Catching Fish
New Dinosaur Species from Argentina May Have Specialized in Catching Fish
Argentina Cretaceous Late Cretaceous Dinosauria Kank +1
Paleontologists in Argentina have identified a previously unknown species of unenlagiid dinosaur that stalked freshwater wetlands during the Late Cretaceous epoch, adding to evidence that some dinosaurs specialized in catching fish. The post New Dinosaur Species from Argentina May Have Specialized in Catching Fish appeared first on Sci.News: Breaking Science News.
29/05/2026 sci-news
Images 5
Bibliography
Original description
J. F. Bonaparte. 1999. Tetrapod faunas from South America and India: a palaeobiogeographic interpretation. Proceedings of the Indian National Science Association 65A(3):427-437
Bibliography (6)
M. J. Motta, A. M. Aranciaga Rolando, and S. Rozadilla, F. L. Agnolín, F. B. Egli, G. P. Álvarez Herrera, N. R. Chimento, G. L. Coco, T. Tsuihiji, M. Manabe, D. Pol, F. E. Novas. 2026. New unenlagiid from the Chorrillo Formation (Late Cretaceous, Maastrichtian), SW Patagonia, Argentina. Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology (e2656456):18 DOI ↗
S. N. Davis, S. Soto-Acuña, and R. A. Fernández, J. Amudeo-Plaza, M. A. Leppe, D. Rubilar-Rogers, A. O. Vargas, J. A. Clarke. 2023. New records of Theropoda from a Late Cretaceous (Campanian-Maastrichtian) locality in the Magallanes-Austral Basin, Patagonia, and insights into end Cretaceous theropod diversity. Journal of South American Earth Sciences 122:104163 DOI ↗
D. Pol, E. Vlachos, and F. Aspromonte. 2023. The end of the dinosaur era in Patagonia (NatGeo Project).
A. M. Aranciaga Rolando, M. J. Motta, and F. L. Agnolín, M. Manabe, T. Tsuihiji, F. E. Novas. 2022. A large Megaraptoridae (Theropoda: Coelurosauria) from Upper Cretaceous (Maastrichtian) of Patagonia, Argentina. Scientific Reports 12:6318:1-29 DOI ↗
F. E. Novas, F. L. Agnolin, and S. Rozadilla, A. M. Aranciaga-Rolando, F. Brisson-Egli, M. J. Motta, M. Cerroni, M. D. Ezcurra, A. G. Martinelli, J. S. D.’Angelo, G. Alvarez-Herrera. 2019. Paleontological discoveries in the Chorrillo Formation (upper Campanian-lower Maastrichtian, Upper Cretaceous), Santa Cruz Province, Patagonia, Argentina. Revista del Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales, Nueva Serie 21(2):217-293 DOI ↗
C. R. A. Candeiro, A. Cau, and F. Fanti, W. R. Nava, F. E. Novas. 2012. First evidence of an unenlagiid (Dinosauria, Theropoda, Maniraptora) from the Bauru Group, Brazil. Cretaceous Research 37:223-226 DOI ↗