Zapsalis

Name: Zapsalis ‭(‬thorough scissors‭)‬.
Phonetic: Za-sah-lis‭ (‘‬p‭’ ‬is silent‭)‬.
Named By: Edward Drinker Cope‭ ‬-‭ ‬1876.
Classification: Chordata,‭ ‬Reptilia,‭ ‬Dinosauria,‭ ‬Saurischia,‭ ‬Theropoda,‭ ‬Dromaeosauridae,‭ ‬Dromaeosaurinae.
Species: Z.‭ ‬abradens‭ (‬type‭)‬.
Diet: Carnivore.
Size: Unknown.
Known locations: Canada‭ ‬-‭ ‬Dinosaur Park Formation,‭ ‬Milk River Formation‭?‬.‭ ‬USA‭ ‬-‭ ‬Montana‭ ‬-‭ ‬Hell Creek Formation‭?‬,‭ ‬Judith River Formation,‭ ‬Wyoming‭ ‬-‭ ‬Lance Formation.
Time period: Campanian to Maastrichtian of the Cretaceous.
Fossil representation: Teeth.




       Named in‭ ‬1876‭ ‬upon the description of some teeth,‭ ‬we know that Zapsalis was a dromaeosaurid dinosaur,‭ ‬but that‭’‬s about it.‭ ‬For this reason the genus is often listed as dubious,‭ ‬as like with most tooth taxons it would be very difficult to attribute actual fossils of bones.‭ ‬Zapsalis was initially described from teeth found in the Dinosaur park Formation of Canada,‭ ‬with further teeth from the Judith River Formation of Montana,‭ ‬USA also been credited to belonging from the genus.‭ ‬Teeth attributed to the genus from other fossil bearing Formations have now been questioned as many of them are superficially dromaeosaurid without any truly unique features.‭ ‬The Hell Creek Formation in particular is one example of this,‭ ‬as since the naming of the first confirmed dromaeosaurid genus from this Formation,‭ ‬Acheroraptor in‭ ‬2013,‭ ‬many dromaeosaurid teeth from here are now attributed to this genus,‭ ‬though the‭ ‬2015‭ ‬naming of Dakotaraptor indicates that more genera may yet be found.

Further reading
-‭ ‬On some extinct reptiles and Batrachia from the Judith River and Fox Hills Beds of Montana.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences,‭ ‬Philadelphia,‭ ‬28:‭ ‬340-359.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Edward Drinker Cope‭ ‬-‭ ‬1876.
-‭ ‬Small theropod and bird teeth from the Late Cretaceous‭ (‬Upper Campanian‭) ‬Judith River Group,‭ ‬Alberta.‭ ‬-‭ ‬Journal of Paleontology‭ ‬76:‭ ‬751‭–‬763.‭ ‬-‭ ‬J.‭ ‬T.‭ ‬Sankey,‭ ‬D.‭ ‬B.‭ ‬Brinkman,‭ ‬M.‭ ‬Guenther‭ & ‬P.‭ ‬J.‭ ‬Currie‭ ‬-‭ ‬2002.



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