The first specimens of Utahraptor were found in 1975 by Jim Jensen in the Dalton Wells Quarry of Utah, near the town of Moab, but did not receive much attention.

The American scientist Jim Jensen found the first Utahraptor remains in 1975. But the dinosaur wasn't studied in detail until 1991, when another group of researchers - James Kirkland, Robert Gaston and Donald Burge - found more fossils.

Utahraptor was discovered in 1991. The first important fossils were found in Utah that year, and the dinosaur was formally described and named in 1993. That distinction matters because paleontologists often separate the date of discovery from the date of scientific description.

Utahraptor was officially discovered in 1991 in the state of Utah, hence the name. The fossil was uncovered by paleontologist Jim Kirkland and his team, and it immediately reshaped how we viewed raptors.

While some fragmented remains were found earlier, the 1991 find was spearheaded by a team including James Kirkland, Robert Gaston, and Donald Burge, following an initial find of a large sickle claw by Carl Limone.

The sickle claw of Utahraptor found at Gaston Quarry in October 1991, here seen in-situ within the rock before it was excavated. Photo courtesy of Dr. James I. Kirkland, image used with permission.

The first fossils of Utahraptor were discovered in 1975 by Jim Jensen at the Dalton Wells Quarry in Utah. These initial finds included fragments of bones that hinted at a large, predatory dinosaur.

Utahraptor was found the year that Jurassic Park came out and gave scientifi c credence to the large-sized raptors in the movies. It’s just that they are really utahraptors not velociraptors! A very large, deep, thin, blade-like claw core bone was uncovered in October, 1991, by Carl Limone, Preparator at the CEU Prehistoric Museum.

Age: Early Cretaceous (~125 million years ago) Where It's Found in Utah: Dalton Wells Quarry and Gaston Quarry, near Moab, Grand County, Utah. Geologic Formation: Cedar Mountain Formation (Yellow Cat Member) Classification: Saurischia – Theropoda – Coelurosauria - Dromaeosauridae.

The first specimens of Utahraptor were found in 1975 by Jim Jensen in the Dalton Wells Quarry of Utah, near the town of Moab, but did not receive much attention.