Cryptozoo Secret Files--Atacamasaurus sp.

Specimens Wanted--Expedition to Northern Atacama Desert in Chile expected within three months.
Species: Atacamasaurus atacamasaurus, also known commonly as "Living Dinosaurs of Chile" or "The Living Raptors[sic]"
Length estimates: Between 9 and 12 feet in length
Weight estimates: Rarely more than 250 pounds

Once an undisputed cryptid first reported by a man named Dario Riquilme, Chilean Army official Hernan Cuevas and the official's family (who were riding with them) while driving through the northern Atacama Desert in Chile on the way to the town of Arica. As with most cryptid species they are often spotted exactly when they are not being sought out, and the report of Riquilme and the official's family described a pair of bipedal animals that they could not identify running swiftly across the road in front of them, heading deeper into the desert. Though the only features that these people could observe before the animals were lost to sight were the proportionally huge thighs and hips, toothy mouth, grey color and relative featurelessness of the body (described as "hairless" by them, though this creature has been confirmed to indeed have a minimal downy coating), the civilian cryptozoology community quickly jumped to the conclusion that this was an extant population of a rather popular type of dinosaur--a raptor or, occasionally, a Troodontid. However, recent observation teams sent by the Cryptozoo research branch has determined otherwise.

The assumption of many "believers" in the existence of this species of extant primitive theropod has been that the population is not naturally inclined to desert life, as it is assumed also to be a much larger animal than it actually is. The Atacamasaurus is actually not even a relative of "raptors" or the troodontids, but is actually a basal noasaurid. Noasaurids are a significantly under-studied group of herbivorous and omnivorous theropod dinosaurs that only inhabited the Cretaceous era in Africa, Australia, and most notably the South American continent. Very few extinct species have reliable specimens, so little was known about the creatures before our research teams spent four months observing this cryptid. 

Atacamasaurus is a generalist omnivore which lives in pairs or small family groups. They are among the largest animals in the notoriously dry Chilean desert, surviving by retaining most of the water from the vegetation they browse on. They also tend to congregate around oases formed by brief exposures of underground streams--where many surprisingly lush micro-biomes can be found. They have been clocked as running at speeds of over 35 mph but rarely will expend energy in such a way unless greatly frightened by passing cars, helicopters, and most often off-road vehicles being used illegally in the desert region. They have and extremely keen sense of smell, sight, and hearing, but smell is overwhelmingly their strongest sense, enabling them to detect water sources and carrion from many miles away. Their long dinosaurian tail appears to only function as a counterbalance while running, a switch to deter biting insects, and as a defense mechanism in desperation. While away from vegetation their main food source is ants--which they dig up efficiently with their two-digit front limbs armed with large claws. They are, as the first sightings suggested, usually some shade of gray or gray-brown which blends in extremely well with the dry soil--however in the breeding season the throat areas of both males and females tend to change color: Females usually change to a bright blood red and males to an orange-yellow with a spot of red in the center. Fights often break out between troop members in this season, but rarely do they result in bloodshed as they have never been observed using their pointed teeth or razor-like toe-claws. Males compete for the attention of females by boxing and wrestling using exclusively their forelimbs--unlike most large mammals the females tend to accumulate a harem out of the victors of these fights, with only two or three elder females mating at all per season with as many as twenty males. It is possible this is so in order to remove jealousy from the equation of raising young--some other species have occasionally been observed to kill the young of members of their social groups if the father or mother is one the killer lost the opportunity to mate with, including humans. Since the majority of the strongest males now have a reason to believe the young born from the alpha females are theirs, they will be inclined to protect them from both predators and any weaker males that try any funny business. 

The next expedition to the Atacama has been given the goal of capturing a minimum of three Atacamasaurus for research and a possible breeding program in the future. No more than six specimens are to be taken to avoid depleting what could be an extremely small and vulnerable wild population. Results of study up to this point and after the expedition are not to be shared with the paleontological community at large for reasons of species protection and to respect the privacy of our funders.
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Yes, this is based on an actual cryptid which so far has actually had two sightings in the same area, and had a Destination Dumbass--er, Truth episode about it. The TV morons--er, personalities stumbled across some rustling bushes and an unclear footprint, which they assumed to belong to a raptor a la screenshot from frickin' Jurassic Park of a raptor print... Ughughuhghghghh... Be very wary of non-scientists trying to do scientific discoveries! You'll get panics over vaccines causing autism and featherless movie raptors ravaging the Chilean countryside... XD

While I see no proof of the sightings being extant dinosaurian birds... A bipedal, grey, bird-like critter that is no more than 2 meters tall from foot to head seems fairly likely, especially in such a remote area with so much hidden biomass. XD And there are plenty of living dinosaurs already--most of the people I know regularly eat them! (Chickens, turkeys, pigeon/dove, occasionally ducks and quails)

As yet, the Cryptozoo has no Atacamasaurus, but they plan to have a little group in the large savannah enclosure within the year.