Lesser Known Asia

Of all the places we have gone, Asia has been one of the most dinosaur populated. This part of Asia, however, has not really been hit on at all. Japan is a little mentioned country for fossil dinosaurs, but there are dinosaurs discovered in Japan. One such dinosaur posed a conundrum when it was first unearthed. Possessing a large claw on one of the phalanges discovered, the animal was thought to be a new species of dromaeosaur. After further examination it was determined that that claw was in fact a finger and not a toe. The name, Fukuiraptor kitadaniensis, had already been coined. The name mean "Thief of Fukui", a prefecture in Japan, while the specific epithet refers to the Kitadani Quarry in which the remains were originally discovered. The Kitadani Quarry is an Albian age quarry but it has been noted that Fukuiraptor is considered a Barremian age dinosaur (see age comparisons here).